Icon Group and 5D Clinics enter a milestone joint venture

Icon Writers / 06 Jun, 2024

Investing in CyberKnife – increasing patient accessibility to state-of-the art robotic radiation therapy technology

Today, Thursday 6 June, Icon Group, Australia’s largest dedicated provider of cancer care with a growing global reach, and 5D Clinics, the nation’s only private provider of radiosurgery treatment using the CyberKnife System, have entered a Joint Venture (JV) to open and operate CyberKnife centres with an initial focus on Australia’s east coast.

The JV will manage 5D Clinics’ expansion across the East Coast, investing in a network of new centres* over the course of the partnership, bringing state-of-the-art robotic radiosurgery cancer care closer to home.

The first new centre is scheduled to open in Melbourne in the first quarter of 2025.

Precision medicine

5D Clinics opened in 2018 in Claremont, Perth, Western Australia and brings clinical expertise and experience in operating CyberKnife services. The Perth clinic is home to the only privately owned CyberKnife in Australia.

CyberKnife is the only fully robotic radiation delivery system. Its robotic arm moves around a patient, delivering high energy x-ray beams with a high level of accuracy and precision in a sequence of software-generated angles.

The CyberKnife system utilises real-time x-ray guided motion synchronization technology. This allows tracking of any tumour motion, adjusting the position of the treatment beam in real-time to account for a moving tumour. This reduces the amount of radiation delivered to healthy tissue without compromising the dose delivered, improving patient outcomes. This technology is particularly beneficial for cancers located in the chest and abdomen including lung, liver and pancreas which are particularly susceptible to respiratory motion.

Treatment is typically completed in one to five treatment sessions that last around 30 to 60 minutes each. It is suitable for cancerous and non-cancerous conditions of the brain, spine, lung, prostate, liver, kidney, pancreas and metastatic disease.

Closer to home

JV Chief Medical Officer, and 5D Clinics Radiation Oncologist Associate Professor Colin Tang has been utilising the CyberKnife technology for over 10 years in Western Australia. With a wealth of experience, A/Prof Tang understands the importance of this technology in helping to improve patient outcomes and that this partnership will continue to benefit more people living with cancer.

“CyberKnife is a clinically proven and non-invasive treatment with the capacity to help thousands of people living with cancer,” said A/Prof Tang.

“We’re seeing really promising results with a range of cancer types; patients are experiencing positive outcomes, often with little to no side effects.

“CyberKnife’s precise technology and ability to deliver a targeted radiation dose and treat a very small area means we can also treat patients who have already received standard radiation therapy treatment and would otherwise not be suitable for further therapies.

“This partnership with Icon will allow us to open more 5D Clinics across Australia’s eastern seaboard, easing the burden of travel and increasing access to this precision therapy for more people with cancer.”

Best care possible

Icon Group CEO, Mark Middleton said this partnership is another step forward in meeting Icon’s mission to bring more care to more people.

“This milestone JV signifies a continued investment in the future of cancer care and increasing access to more Australians,” said Mark.

“Icon has a strong track record of delivering first-to-market technology and treatments and our partnership with 5D Clinics will continue to see us lead the way in radiation therapy and the next phase of precision medicine.”

“Together, we’re bringing highly advanced treatments to more people, closer to where they live.”

Icon and 5D Clinics will work together on building new CyberKnife centres as the demand grows and will continue to contribute to advancing precision medicine across Australia.

 

*Subject to regulatory approvals

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