Oklahoma City facility treating kids
Proton Therapy Beneficial for Children With Cancer
January 28, 2010
Oklahoma City -- 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.
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.
To learn more about proton therapy and the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma visit procure.com/ok or call 888-592-2854.
ABOUT PROCURE TREATMENT CENTERS
ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., based in Bloomington, Ind., was founded in 2005 to improve the lives of patients with cancer by increasing access to proton therapy. ProCure collaborates with leading radiation oncology practices and hospitals and provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, financing, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of world-class proton therapy centers. ProCure's solution reduces the time, cost and effort necessary to create a facility. ProCure is the only company in the world with a center open and treating patients (Oklahoma City), another under construction in suburban Chicago (Warrenville) to open in early 2011, and four others in development (Seattle; Somerset, N.J.; South Florida; and Detroit). ProCure's Training and Development Center is the first facility in the world dedicated exclusively to proton therapy. For more information, visit procure.com.
About Radiation Medicine Associates (RMA)
Radiation Medicine Associates, a leading radiation oncology practice in Oklahoma City, is bringing proton therapy, the most advanced external radiation therapy treatment, to Oklahoma City. They are well known and respected clinical physicians with a long history of clinical excellence. The doctors practice at the leading institutions in the area and have pioneered the newest and most appropriate cancer treatment technologies in the community. The physicians are longstanding members of the Oklahoma community who have dedicated their professional lives to the improvement of cancer treatment.
About INTEGRIS Health
INTEGRIS Health is the state's largest Oklahoma-owned not-for-profit healthcare corporation, with hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physician clinics, mental health facilities, fitness centers, independent living centers and home health agencies throughout much of the state. Through its affiliates, INTEGRIS Health operates 13 hospitals, led in the Oklahoma City area by INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center and INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center. The organization has affiliated mental health providers in 50 Oklahoma towns and cities, and offers hospice services through Hospice of Oklahoma County. For more information, visit www.integris-health.com.
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.
To learn more about proton therapy and the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma visit procure.com/ok or call 888-592-2854.
ABOUT PROCURE TREATMENT CENTERS
ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., based in Bloomington, Ind., was founded in 2005 to improve the lives of patients with cancer by increasing access to proton therapy. ProCure collaborates with leading radiation oncology practices and hospitals and provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, financing, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of world-class proton therapy centers. ProCure's solution reduces the time, cost and effort necessary to create a facility. ProCure is the only company in the world with a center open and treating patients (Oklahoma City), another under construction in suburban Chicago (Warrenville) to open in early 2011, and four others in development (Seattle; Somerset, N.J.; South Florida; and Detroit). ProCure's Training and Development Center is the first facility in the world dedicated exclusively to proton therapy. For more information, visit procure.com.
About Radiation Medicine Associates (RMA)
Radiation Medicine Associates, a leading radiation oncology practice in Oklahoma City, is bringing proton therapy, the most advanced external radiation therapy treatment, to Oklahoma City. They are well known and respected clinical physicians with a long history of clinical excellence. The doctors practice at the leading institutions in the area and have pioneered the newest and most appropriate cancer treatment technologies in the community. The physicians are longstanding members of the Oklahoma community who have dedicated their professional lives to the improvement of cancer treatment.
About INTEGRIS Health
INTEGRIS Health is the state's largest Oklahoma-owned not-for-profit healthcare corporation, with hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physician clinics, mental health facilities, fitness centers, independent living centers and home health agencies throughout much of the state. Through its affiliates, INTEGRIS Health operates 13 hospitals, led in the Oklahoma City area by INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center and INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center. The organization has affiliated mental health providers in 50 Oklahoma towns and cities, and offers hospice services through Hospice of Oklahoma County. For more information, visit www.integris-health.com.