2008 Woodie Awards
Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 1/22/08 Section: News
Proton therapy, a rising treatment, to come to Penn
Jessica Bell
When Roberts Proton Therapy Center opens in fall 2009, it will bring to Penn a type of facility that has attracted attention for both its effectiveness and high price.
And while critics have spoken out against its costliness, researchers see proton therapy as an important and effective treatment option for some patients, and Penn expects the center to be in demand.
Proton therapy, a type of radiotherapy that focuses protons directly on tumor sites, effectively targets and kills tumors while significantly decreasing the dose of radiation to surrounding tissues, said Leonard Arzt, the executive director of the National Association for Proton Therapy.
Most commonly used to treat brain tumors, prostate cancer, gynecologic malignancies and childhood cancers, proton therapy has fewer side-effects than standard radiation treatments.
Critics of proton therapy centers stress the cost differential between the equipment necessary for proton therapy and that of standard radiation.
But for some patients, proton therapy is probably the best option, regardless of the cost, said Stephen Hahn, a Penn professor of radiation oncology.
"If less expensive treatments are just as good, we will use them," he said. "But, if it reduces side effects or cures patients, we should use proton therapy."
Researchers are currently trying to determine the best types of patients to treat with proton therapy, Hahn said.
The $140-million facility's location in the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine will place it in close proximity to other cancer treatment options, such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.
Doctors, nurses and therapists will travel between the two facilities, Hahn said.
"Proton therapy is not for everyone," he added. "If you go to the department of oncology, they will give you the best opinion of all the options."
The center will be the first in the mid-Atlantic and the fifth of its kind in the world.
And while critics have spoken out against its costliness, researchers see proton therapy as an important and effective treatment option for some patients, and Penn expects the center to be in demand.
Proton therapy, a type of radiotherapy that focuses protons directly on tumor sites, effectively targets and kills tumors while significantly decreasing the dose of radiation to surrounding tissues, said Leonard Arzt, the executive director of the National Association for Proton Therapy.
Most commonly used to treat brain tumors, prostate cancer, gynecologic malignancies and childhood cancers, proton therapy has fewer side-effects than standard radiation treatments.
Critics of proton therapy centers stress the cost differential between the equipment necessary for proton therapy and that of standard radiation.
But for some patients, proton therapy is probably the best option, regardless of the cost, said Stephen Hahn, a Penn professor of radiation oncology.
"If less expensive treatments are just as good, we will use them," he said. "But, if it reduces side effects or cures patients, we should use proton therapy."
Researchers are currently trying to determine the best types of patients to treat with proton therapy, Hahn said.
The $140-million facility's location in the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine will place it in close proximity to other cancer treatment options, such as radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.
Doctors, nurses and therapists will travel between the two facilities, Hahn said.
"Proton therapy is not for everyone," he added. "If you go to the department of oncology, they will give you the best opinion of all the options."
The center will be the first in the mid-Atlantic and the fifth of its kind in the world.
Be the first to comment on this story