First-of-Its-Kind Proton Therapy Upright Solution Moves Forward at UW Health

Middleton, Wis. — 29 September 2025 — Leo Cancer Care today announced the completed installation of its upright patient positioning system and CT scanner, named Marie, in front of a Hitachi fixed-beam proton therapy system at UW Health Eastpark Medical Center in Madison, Wisconsin. 

UW Health became the first center in the world to sign with Leo Cancer Care in June 2022. This installation represents the world’s first multi-room proton therapy solution of its kind. One treatment room will feature a traditional Hitachi rotating gantry for supine treatments, while the second will house a fixed-beam line paired with Leo Cancer Care’s upright solution, which rotates the patient rather than the beam. The upright approach aims to increase accessibility to proton therapy by reducing size and cost, while fostering better patient connection and comfort in a natural upright position. 

Stephen Towe, Co-Founder and CEO of Leo Cancer Care, said, “Together with UW Health and Hitachi we are demonstrating how tradition and innovation can come together to improve the patient experience.” 

Situated within the Eastpark Medical Center, a state-of-the-art facility designed to offer the most advanced treatments and coordinated, multi-specialty care for complex conditions like cancer, the proton therapy program plans to begin patient treatments in 2026.  

“This first-of-its-kind configuration positions UW Health to rigorously study upright treatments and translate innovation into better care as we prepare to treat our first patients in 2026,” said Dr. Ben Durkee, medical director of proton therapy, UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center.