Prostate Cancer Blog – Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer

I thought it would be helpful to readers and visitors to have a visual map of the proton treatment centers around the US. Many people will want to know geographically where the nearest center is to their home, and this gives you a quick glance of both centers in operations, as well as those that are under construction. If you notice a center that is missing, please let us know – post a comment to this blog post.

We grant others permission to use these graphics as long as you give credit back to ProstateBlog.com.

Click on the Map for a larger version. For a list of all the facilities and links to their web pages, you can go HERE.

We posted a note about three years ago about the exciting news that the Mayo Clinic had decided to embrace Proton treatment and was building two new facilities. This is just a short note on progress with their buildings.

As a reminder, the Mayo Clinic is building two facilities.

The first facility is being built in Rochester, Minnesota and the ground breaking took place on Sept 15, 2011. They are expecting to be treating patients some time in mid to late 2015. Below are some renderings of what the facility will look like:

The second facility is being built in Phoenix, Arizona and the ground breaking took place on Dec 13, 2011. They are expecting to be receiving patients some time in early 2016. Below are some renderings of what the facility will look like:

Here is an overview of the schedule for these two facilities as projected in January, 2014:

Click photo for full size version:

Bob Marckini revealed that the Dutch Government plans to build FOUR Proton Therapy Centers in the Netherlands. They report that the essence of the use of Protons will be where they have proven effective and that includes, head-and-neck, breast, lung, and prostate tumors. To me it appears that the Dutch are aware of value where it is evident, and they are moving to save some lives and improve the methods to achieve this goal.

And – Ohio plans to build a Proton Center in Dayton, as well as one in Miami Township.

Be sure to find a copy of Bob Tales (a monthly newletter) that will help you understand how important the “Proton” is today and will be in the future.

My friend Bob Marckini knows what he is publishing in his “BOB Tales” and believe me you need to know that my comments above were generated directly from the research and follow-up by the Marckini, Bob and Deb team.

In 1958 I was fortunate to command a Helicopter Company in Fort Sill, Oklahoma that taught me to always try to find an answer that is truthfull and will help others.

Thank you for reading. Keep looking at the many “Videos” on this site – I always learn a lot from them.

Dallas Morning News, September 5, 2012

Dallas Market Center Land L.P. is seeking city approval to develop the land for the Dallas Proton Treatment Center

UT Southwestern Medical Center plans to operate the $225 million, 100,000-square-foot advanced medical facility.

This is to be owned and funded by Advanced Particle Therapy a San Diego based firm that owns similar facilities in San Diego, Baltimore and Atlanta.

Dr. Bruce Meyer, executive VP for health system affairs at UTSW, said in a statement, “this is an exciting development in our ability to offer patients in the region  access to the best possible treatment options and provide a leadership role in how to best apply this technology.”

At least someone in the Dallas area is interested in using “protons” and I am happy!  This would be about 40 minutes from my home.

Here is a nice newsletter that came out the end of last year from the University of Florida’s Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville, Florida. It is sent out to all former patients and updates everyone on progress being made at the center and other relevant news. Nice laid out and presented, I think many will find this interesting. Here is the web link (CLICK HERE) were you can find the PDF format file of the newsletter. Enjoy.

“Mayo officials announced Thursday that patient and philanthropist Richard O. Jacobson is contributing $100 million that will be used to help establish the clinic’s Proton beam therapy program. The program will include new facilities on Mayo’s Rochester and Phoenix campuses. The $200 million Rochester facility will be named in Jacobson’s honor.

Mayo says proton beam therapy is an advance over traditional radiation therapy for some cancers because it’s more precisely targeted, allowing for higher doses with fewer adverse effects.”

This is exactly the kind of news that the entire Proton community needs. Recognition by the leadership in the great American medical community that Protons are here to stay and will be a great boon to future health of all as more and more of the medical giants recognize the value of the Proton.

I still marvel at the “head in the sand” view of some Urologists and Radiologists who are stuck on surgery and IMRT, Brachytherapy and the like. I assume that this group is having enough success to continue following these procedures while ignoring the proton. Too bad since their “oath” should insure that they know what is available and what it does, so “we” the public can choose the best possible path to a cure for Cancer on our terms, not theirs.

Folks, there are lots of men and women who are not even talking about the Prostate, they are aware that the proton has many applications and is the least destructive in the area of ‘unintended consequences.” Those consequences would be the X-rays going through the body with their unstoppable characteristic, while the Proton continues to utilize the “Bragg Peak” for reduced impact on the person treated.

I already wish that the Proton could be used for all cancers and I feel fortunate that Loma Linda had this therapy available when I needed the Proton for Prostate cancer in 1999.

We noticed this just posted to the Hampton University web site:

“The 98,000 sq. ft Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI) is open for patient treatment.”

We take that to mean they are up and running. You can take a look at their timeline HERE.

Hampton University has joined the fight against cancer in opening the nation’s 8th proton therapy facility, the largest in the world. The Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute (HUPTI) brings the latest, most precise cancer-fighting technology to Virginia and beyond.

HUPTI is the first proton therapy institute in the Mid-Atlantic Region, and the only such facility in Virginia. The $225 million, state-of-the-art research and treatment center will treat over 2,000 patients per year including prostate, breast, lung, eye, brain and pediatric cancers.

Loma Linda has completed 14,829 Proton treatments to date.  10,281 are Prostate. Head and Neck (822), Chordoma/Chondrasarcoma (562), and brain (506) are the next in line with breast increasing each month.

FYI: A chondrosarcoma is a type of cancer^[1] of the cartilage. Chondrosarcoma is a cartilage-based tumor and is in a category of cancers called sarcomas. About 25% of primary bone cancers (meaning those which start in the bone) are chondrosarcomas.

“Prostate Cancer Meets the Proton Beam” By Fuller Jones. Fuller Jones is a veteran 140 space launches and is a retired NASA engineer. I enjoyed his book and know that you will, especially if you are deciding on a treatment for Prostate cancer.

And then I read “Prostate Cancer Survivors Speak Their Minds” by Arthur L. Burnett II and Norman Morris. Released in 2010, this book features Surgery experiences by Arnold Palmer and other well known men who had surgery for their Prostate cancer. I am happy for them if they are happy however; I am disappointed that the “Sell” is still in place for surgery with the after effects they experience in this book while I am satisfied with “NONE!” with Protons after 10 years and 9 months.

In October 2010 Loma Linda will celebrate the 20 Year Anniversary of their Proton center. They are closing in on 15,000 people treated with protons and they have spent all this time improving the applications to 22 specific body sites and others. Breasts, Lungs, and Liver have been treated since 2007.

One of the three gantries has been recently modified to a robotic arm to place the patient in the treatment zone and research continues to evaluate possible improvement in other Proton treatment techniques.

Can you believe that when I was treated, there were two options for treatment and now the University of Pennsylvania (treating now) and Hampton University are coming on line. They will join MPRI in Indiana, MD. Anderson in Texas, Proton Institute in Jacksonville, Florida and four Procure sites that are open (Oklahoma City) or under construction with groundbreaking in New Jersey as the latest.

These are exciting times when prices in some Proton Centers are already coming down and the future is bright.