Siteman Cancer Center Treats First Patient With First-of-Its-Kind Proton Therapy System
St. Louis (PRWEB) December 19, 2013 -- A 33-year-old man from Leasburg, Mo., is the first patient to receive a revolutionary form of highly accurate radiation treatment from the world’s first proton system of its kind. The treatment was administered today at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Steven Osborne has a rare type of cancer called chondrosarcoma at the base of his skull. He will undergo a 30- to 45-minute session each weekday for the next seven weeks as the first patient of the S. Lee Kling Proton Therapy Center at Washington University Medical Center.
The S. Lee Kling Proton Therapy Center provides proton therapy to adult patients of the Siteman Cancer Center and pediatric patients of St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Patients eligible for the therapy have cancer near vital organs such as the spine, brain, heart and eyes.
“Proton therapy is unique because it allows for very precise adjustments to the radiation beam, so we can precisely target tumors,” said Jeffrey D. Bradley, MD, director of the Proton Therapy Center. “It helps to minimize damage to surrounding tissue and is especially useful when treating growing children.”
For example, treatment of a brain tumor such as Osborne’s with proton therapy may be less likely to result in blindness or other complications, said Bradley, who also is the S. Lee Kling Professor of Radiation Oncology at Washington University.
A superconducting synchrocyclotron proton accelerator is a key component of the new proton therapy system. The relatively small size of the device allows it to fit in a single room that isn’t much larger than a traditional radiation therapy room. Watch a video about the technology: http://goo.gl/WnO5LE. The cost of this single-vault proton therapy system was about $20 million. That represents a fraction of the investment needed for traditional proton therapy systems, which typically are housed in football field-sized buildings and cost in excess of $150 million.
“Our team of Washington University radiation oncologists and physicists has been instrumental in developing treatment planning and quality assurance processes for this technology,” Bradley said. “We’re now focused on using it to provide the best possible care for our patients.”
The S. Lee Kling Proton Therapy Center plans to treat 20 to 25 patients a day. Treatment will typically require daily 30-minute sessions for two months. The center will serve the region and the Midwest. The next closest location offering proton therapy is 225 miles away.
“The Siteman Cancer Center is pleased to be able to provide this new type of proton therapy,” said Timothy J. Eberlein, MD, Siteman’s director. “As partners in the development of this technology, we are translating cutting-edge science into better treatment options for our patients.”
The Proton Therapy Center was named after S. Lee Kling, a visionary St. Louisan who had to travel to the East Coast to receive proton therapy for an eye tumor. Kling, the former chairman of The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s board of directors, believed the therapy should be more accessible and available to patients in the area. His efforts helped raise $2.3 million through The Foundation’s illumination gala to fund research and the construction of a proton therapy facility.
The MEVION S250 Proton Therapy System was developed and manufactured by Littleton, Mass.-based Mevion Medical Systems with the assistance of radiation oncologists and physicists at Washington University in St. Louis.
###
About the Siteman Cancer Center
The Siteman Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in Missouri, is ranked among the top cancer facilities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Comprising the cancer research, prevention and treatment programs of Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, Siteman is also Missouri’s only member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
About Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Barnes-Jewish Hospital is a 1,315 bed teaching hospital affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. The hospital has a 1,763 member medical staff, with many recognized as "Best Doctors in America." Barnes-Jewish is a member of BJC HealthCare, which provides a full range of health care services through its 13 hospitals and more than 100 health care sites in Missouri and Illinois. Barnes-Jewish Hospital is also consistently ranked on the elite honor roll as one of America’s “Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.
About Washington University School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine’s 2,100 employed and volunteer faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation, currently ranked sixth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.
Anne Bassett, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, http://www.siteman.wustl.edu/, +1 (314) 286-0303, [email protected]
Share this article