Children with cancer are now being accepted for treatment at the ProCure
Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma, where a wide range of tumors are
treated with proton
therapy, an alternative to X-ray radiation that spares healthy
tissue and results in far fewer short- and long-term treatment side
effects.
“Providing children with greater access to proton therapy is at the very
core of ProCure’s mission”
According to the American
Cancer Society, cancer is the leading cause of non-accidental death
in children. In 2009, more than 10,000 new childhood cancer cases were
diagnosed in children up to age 14 and nearly 1,400 deaths were
attributed to the disease.
“Proton therapy is a particularly important treatment option for
children who experience more serious short- and long-term side effects
from X-ray radiation than adults,” said W.C. Goad, M.D., medical
director of the Center and a founder of Radiation
Medicine Associates (RMA), the radiation oncology practice that
provides clinical care at the Center. “Since their bodies are still
growing, children are more sensitive to the damage to healthy tissue
caused by X-rays.”
Clinical studies suggest that proton therapy reduces the risk of growth
and developmental problems, as well as resulting in fewer recurring or
secondary tumors. “The very good news is that many children diagnosed
with cancer survive and thrive thanks to the advances in treatment,”
said Dr. Goad. “We need to do all we can to take measures that cut down
on side effects so they have not only a long life but an excellent
quality of life.”
“When we heard about the benefits of proton therapy, we knew it was the
right treatment,” said Susan Ralston, founder of the Pediatric
Proton Foundation and mother of Jacob, who was treated with proton
therapy at the Proton Therapy Center at The University of Texas M. D.
Anderson Cancer Center in 2007. “What parent wouldn’t want to give their
child the opportunity to not only beat their cancer, but to limit the
amount of radiation they are exposed to so they have the opportunity to
grow up tall, achieve a 4.0 on their report card and live a happy,
healthy life.”
“Providing children with greater access to proton therapy is at the very
core of ProCure’s mission,” said John Cameron, Ph.D., founder and
president of ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., which also has a center
under construction in suburban Chicago and four others in development.
“We plan to keep building centers until every child and every adult who
could benefit from proton therapy, has access to this important
treatment option.”
The Oklahoma City Center opened in July and is treating patients
diagnosed with a broad range of tumor types including head and neck,
brain, central nervous system, prostate, lung, sarcoma, gastrointestinal
and many pediatric cancers. The precision of proton therapy makes it
especially effective for anatomically complex tumors such as base of
skull and tumors along the spinal cord. With two treatment rooms now
open and two more opening in the next few months, the Center will be
operating at full capacity by summer, treating up to 1,500 patients a
year.
The Center has an affiliation with INTEGRIS Health, the state's largest
hospital system. INTEGRIS's new, state-of-the art Cancer Institute of
Oklahoma, located adjacent to the ProCure Proton Therapy Center,
provides patients with additional medical services that they may need
while undergoing proton therapy.
The ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City is the sixth center
in the country to provide proton therapy and the first in ProCure's
network of centers to provide this advanced radiation therapy to
patients with cancer. Construction is running on schedule with the
ProCure facility in suburban Chicago, and ProCure has centers in
development in Seattle; Somerset, N.J.; Detroit and South Florida.