Radiation therapy company Proton Partners has been given the green light to begin treating people in Newport.

Proton Partners International opened its Rutherford Cancer Centre in Newport earlier this year. Insider Media reports approval was granted following checks, and was the final point required ahead of the first patient being treated with high energy proton beam therapy in early April.

Mike Moran, chief executive of Proton Partners International, said “We are delighted that Healthcare Inspectorate Wales has approved the UK’s first high energy proton beam therapy system at our Rutherford Cancer Centre in Newport. This will lead the way for the first patient to be treated at the centre next month, and we are proud to be spearheading the introduction of this innovative cancer treatment within the UK. For us, this is the first step in ensuring that UK patients who need proton beam therapy do not need to travel abroad to receive treatment – something which is all the more important with cancer rates continuing to rise, and with research indicating that proton therapy has significantly lower side effects than traditional cancer treatments.”

Treatment at the Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales will be available to medically insured private patients, self-paying patients and patients referred by NHS Wales.