Two healthcare providers bring advanced cancer care to South Jersey patients with new $45 million Penn Medicine. Virtua Health Proton Therapy Center in Voorhees.
Located on the Virtua campus, it will be the first proton therapy center in Southern Jersey and one of fewer than 50 centers in the United States, according to an October 17 announcement.
Stephanie Fendrick, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Virtua Health, said in a statement:
Proton therapy is a painless, non-invasive treatment that uses high-energy proton beams to eliminate cancer cells, the system explains. That involves accelerating subatomic particles to about 450 million miles per hour. This is the speed required to produce the energy needed to deliver targeted radiation, said Dr. James Metz, chair of radiation oncology at Penn Medicine.
The 8,600-square-foot facility, which began construction in June 2020, It is expected to be open to patients by early 2023. The center is connected to the existing Pen Medicine. Virtua Health Radiation Oncology Suite.
how does that work?
Penn Medicine and Virtua Health recently hosted a preview event that included a behind-the-scenes tour of the technology.
A 90-ton device called a cyclotron, which is hidden from the patient’s sight, is a major component of the treatment. The cyclotron is housed in an underground vault surrounded by 8-foot-by-21-foot-thick concrete walls. The facility also has a 90-ton gantry, which is used to hit the tumor with a proton beam.
did you know?
- The center required 300 truckloads of concrete.
- The cyclotron and gantry traveled 4,000 miles by ship from Germany to the port of Newark.
- The tractor-trailer that delivered the cyclotron to Voorhees was 101 feet long.
- The tractor trailer, shipping container and cyclotron together weighed over 300,000 pounds.
Does it sound intense? Doctors say the average treatment takes about 30 minutes from arrival to departure.
The medical center says this advanced radiation therapy, which can be used for many types of cancer, offers new possibilities for recovery, survival and quality of life. It is also suitable for tumors located near highly sensitive areas (such as the spinal cord, heart, and brain) or tumors that cannot be completely removed by surgery.
Fendrick added that the center is “an important milestone in the long-standing partnership between Virtua and Penn Medicine.”
Penn Medicine and Virtua Health Collaboration until 2015 Includes both cancer and neuroscience services. The new center is part of Penn Medicine. The Virtua Health Cancer Program, which provides cancer care to patients in Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties.
Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, said:
“Being here in South Jersey is an incredible source of hope,” added Dennis Pullin, President and CEO of Virtua.
