Penn Medicine and Virtua Health are about to debut a new proton therapy center at Virtua’s Voorhees Hospital Campus in Camden County. Her $45 million facility will be the first in South Jersey to offer a promising cancer treatment with fewer side effects.
The 8,600-square-foot proton therapy center, which began construction in 2020, is expected to open early next year. The partnership between the two health systems aims to make proton therapy more accessible to cancer patients across the region.
Penn Medicine’s existing Roberts Proton Therapy Center opened in Philadelphia in 2010, and a second Penn Medicine facility to provide treatment opened in Lancaster over the summer.
James Metz, director of radiation oncology at Penn Medicine, said: “As an international leader in cancer care, he has trained more than 70% of clinicians using proton therapy worldwide.”
What is proton therapy?
Proton therapy is a relatively new type of radiation therapy used to treat cancer and some benign tumors. Instead of using X-rays like traditional photon beam irradiation, proton therapy’s radiation beams enter the body at low doses that spare healthy tissue. While conventional radiation beams often reach non-cancerous cells beyond the target site, proton therapy allows doctors to target more precise areas.
This treatment is often used in patients whose cancer has come back and can relieve physical pain and tolerate radiation therapy. High-energy proton beams are painless to the patient undergoing treatment.
1 2020 research Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that among patients who received concurrent radiation and chemotherapy (a common combination in patients with locally advanced cancer), those who received proton therapy had found significantly fewer serious side effects than patients. I received conventional radiotherapy.
Although comparative studies on the side effects of both types of radiation are still limited, proton therapy has become a fast-growing field of cancer treatment due to the attraction of patients maintaining a more normal lifestyle during treatment. increase.
In terms of cure rate, proton therapy versus conventional radiation with similar clinical outcomesThe biggest barrier for patients undergoing proton therapy is that not all health insurance covers it. Medicaid covers proton therapy, making it a viable option for older adult patients.
Since its inception, proton therapy has been used to treat brain tumors, spinal cord tumors, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, gynecologic cancer, kidney cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, mesothelioma, oropharyngeal cancer, and pediatric cancer. and prostate cancer.
Commitment to South Jersey Convenience
The new Penn Medicine-Virtua Health Proton Therapy Center is one of fewer than 50 facilities in the United States to offer treatment.
There are two other proton therapy facilities in New Jersey. His ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset and his Raleigh Proton Therapy Center at RWJBarnabas Health in New Brunswick.
Voorhees resident Deb Harris, who was treated for brain cancer at the Roberts Center in Philadelphia, said the new facility will make a difference for patients in the area.
Harris, who has been cancer-free for over four years, said: “Anything that makes life easier and simpler when facing cancer is a blessing.”
Services at the new center include access to evaluations, treatments, and clinical trials. The program at Voorhees is expected to serve 100 patients in its first year and has the capacity to treat up to 200 patients annually. This fits in with Penn Medicine and Virtua Health’s larger cancer programs serving Camden, Burlington and Gloucester counties.
Building a proton therapy center is a large undertaking, ranging from about $40 million to $200 million. At the heart of this technology is a 90-ton device called a cyclotron, which accelerates protons to about two-thirds the speed of light (about 450 mph). A proton reaches the patient in about 60 billionths of her second.
Cyclotrons are stored in underground vaults surrounded by thick concrete walls. Behind the walls of the treatment room is a 90-ton cylindrical gantry that directs the protons at the patient at the optimal angle to reach the tumor.
A typical patient visit for proton therapy is approximately 30 minutes from arrival to departure. Having a facility in South Jersey alleviates some of the added stress of a long commute to an appointment.
“Together, Penn and Virtua have already made a significant impact on cancer care, and the new proton therapy center will further expand access to world-class treatments,” said Virtua President and CEO. One Dennis W. Pullin says: “Being here in South Jersey is an incredible source of hope.”
