San Diego - Local health care and community leaders will gather Feb. 19 to celebrate the opening of the Scripps Proton Therapy Center, the first such cancer care facility in San Diego County to provide this highly accurate form of radiation therapy and the first in the nation to treat patients exclusively with "pencil-beam scanning," the most precise form of proton therapy available.

The 102,000-square-foot facility in Mira Mesa will be a resource not only to Scripps physicians and their patients, but also to Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego and UC San Diego Health System, whose affiliation with Scripps Health was announced at the event.

"The Scripps Proton Therapy Center brings to patients in this region and beyond one of the most advanced, accurate treatments available for cancer care," said Chris Van Gorder, Scripps president and CEO. "The center exemplifies innovation and collaboration and we are proud to bring this life-saving technology to our region with our affiliates."
Scripps Proton Therapy Center is the nation's 15th proton facility, and just the fourth west of the Rockies. When fully operational, the $220 million center will have the capacity to treat up to 2,400 patients annually. Scripps Health provides the center's clinical management and Scripps Clinic oversees the medical services. Advanced Particle Therapy is the center's developer and owner.

Protons affect less healthy tissue

The primary benefit of proton therapy is its ability to treat patients with a substantially lower total radiation dose to normal tissue, compared to the latest X-ray technology. "X-rays penetrate entirely through the body, whereas a proton beam can be controlled to stop where the tumor stops," said Carl Rossi, M.D., the center's medical director. "This is important, because less radiation to healthy tissue means patients are more likely to tolerate their treatments better and are less likely to have problems in the long run related to their treatment."

For example, compared to X-rays, a proton beam can effectively target prostate cancer tumors with less exposure to the bladder, rectum and small intestine. With breast cancer, it can treat the left breast without exposing the heart to radiation. And with lung cancer, protons will spare more of the patient's spinal cord, esophagus and bone marrow.

"For children with specific types of tumors, proton therapy is particularly effective because it is very targeted and spares healthy, developing tissue from further damage. It has been found to be particularly effective in brain tumors where secondary radiation can lead to learning disabilities, reduced IQ scores and other potential lifelong side effects. Proton therapy can also reduce the long-term likelihood of secondary radiation-induced tumors," said Donald B. Kearns, M.D., acting president of Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego.

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