CAPV Prototherapy Unit Today they have overcome one of the milestones for their launch in 2028

The Basque Prototherapy Unit will be launched in San Sebastián in 2028 and, with the installation of the cyclotron, they have overcome one of the most important milestones for this purpose, this device is the heart of a system that offers one of the most advanced technologies currently in place in the fight against cancer.

The President, Imanol Pradales, the Health Advisor, Alberto Martínez, the General Director of Osakidetza, Lore Bilbao, the General Director of the Amancio Ortega Foundation, Óscar Ortega, and the Project Director of this foundation, Juan Carlos Fernández, attended the launch of this great proton accelerator on Tuesday.

The operation has required a complex logistical and engineering device, as the pieces were moved earlier this morning to the new building under construction, located in the vicinity of the Donostia University Hospital, by means of a special transport along with the police escort.

Then one of these pieces, the cyclotron, was lifted up and downloaded in a controlled manner to the bunker specifically designed to store it.

"Historic Landmark"

The equipment is 46 tonnes in weight and 2.2 metres in diameter, and a high-tonnage crane has been required to perform the manoeuvres. The relocation of this system has also been subject to detailed safety protocols under the supervision of the Nuclear Safety Council.

The installation of the cyclotron is a "historic milestone" for Osakidetza, "bringing cancer patients closer to one of the most advanced technologies in the world."

Proton therapy makes it possible to provide more accurate and safer treatments, especially for paediatric patients and people with complex tumors. "We will have the technology of champions," the president stressed.

Pradales has pointed out that this unit "has not been created as isolated equipment, but is the resultof a strategy to strengthen oncological care, modernize infrastructure and incorporate new capacities into Basque public health ".

High-precision technology

"We're not talking about technology that replaces oncological treatments, not even therapy for all tumors. We're talking about a new cutting-edge, high-precision technology that will open up therapeutic possibilities for cancer in public health, "Pradales said.

Osakidetza has reported that proton therapy is particularly suitable for certain pediatric tumors and, in the case of adults, for some complex tumors, when it is a priority to minimize irradiation from healthy organs.

Its main indications include pediatric tumors of the central nervous system, cordomas, chondrosarcomas, sarcomas, retinoblastomas, and other oncological processes where the reduction of toxicity can provide a proven clinical benefit.

In adult patients, the technique can be used in certain eye tumors, skull, head, and neck base tumors, selected brain tumors, and in some sarcoma and soft parts tumors.

The investment in the creation of the Protoiterapia Unit has exceeded EUR 86 million and has been developed in an infrastructure specifically built by Osakidetza and supported by the Amancio Ortega Foundation.