February 01, 2022 SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ZAP Surgical Systems, Inc. today announced installation of its first ZAP-X® Gyroscopic Radiosurgery® platform in Japan. Using a new vault-free design that typically eliminates the need for costly shielded radiation treatment rooms, the new ZAP-X is located at the newly redeveloped Utsunomiya bullet train station in Japan’s Tochigi Prefecture. Operated by the Utsunomiya Neurospine Center Symphony Hospital, the site will offer non-invasive outpatient treatments for many brain tumors that historically required invasive surgical procedures.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a well-studied treatment for many primary and metastatic brain tumors. Compared to conventional surgery, radiosurgery can provide equivalent to superior clinical outcomes, yet offers eligible patients a painless procedure with no anesthesia, no incision, and often no recovery period. Despite the advantages, significant radiation shielding costs and infrastructure requirements of previous-generation SRS systems have limited widespread access to this potentially life-saving therapy.

Taking advantage of technological innovations that for the first time make dedicated radiosurgery feasible outside of large academic hospital settings, this installation of the ZAP-X platform marks a significant step forward in making world-class SRS available to millions of potential patients that currently lack access.

“With an estimated 24-45% of cancer patients developing brain metastases during the course of their disease, ZAP-X now allows us to bring the most advanced SRS technology to a significant patient population - one that continues to grow, particularly as cancer survival rates improve,” said Professor Phyo Kim, MD, PhD, lead for the ZAP-X program at Utsunomiya Neurospine Center, and former Chief Professor of Neurosurgery at Dokkyo University. “By bringing advanced radiosurgery to a convenient and entirely new setting outside of the large urban hospital, we look forward to working with ZAP to make SRS accessible to more patients in more places.”

“The new Utsunomiya installation ushers in a new era of patient access and convenience to SRS, where patients from both near and far will be treated cost-effectively, without having to enter the congested Tokyo city center or crowded distant hospital,” said Dr. John Adler, CEO and founder of ZAP Surgical, and Emeritus Dorothy & TK Chan Professor of Neurosurgery and Radiation Oncology at Stanford University.

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