It weighs more than a 747 and has traveled halfway around the world, but the region’s first proton beam therapy machine has finally made it home to The University of Kansas Cancer Center. Here are some frequently asked questions about proton beam therapy.
Bringing advanced proton therapy treatment to cancer patients in Kansas City and the surrounding region is now one step, and many miles, closer. Anticipation of the new Proton Therapy Center, the newest addition to The University of Kansas Cancer Center, has been building since its foundational elements departed Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 4. Thirteen weeks, 260,000 pounds and nearly 6,000 miles later, those two critical components of equipment – the cyclotron and gantry – arrived on The University of Kansas Health System campus the first week of April. The 55-ton cyclotron was set into place on Tuesday, April 6, with the 75-ton gantry lowered into position two days later.
Proton therapy is advantageous for treating most localized solid and recurrent tumors that are close to critical organs as it provides such precise delivery. It’s especially beneficial in treating pediatric cancers, as children are particularly sensitive to the effects of radiation.
Adjacent to the Richard and Annette Bloch Radiation Oncology Pavilion at 4001 Rainbow Boulevard, the Proton Therapy Center will be one of 38 such facilities in the United States when it’s completed and opens for patients in early 2022.
The video includes the story of a young patient from Olathe and his family who had to relocate to Rochester, Minnesota for nearly two months last year to get him this life-saving cancer treatment. It also provides a behind-the-scenes look as the massive unit is lowered into the building and includes testimony from doctors, health system and cancer center leaders excited by this phenomenal new technology. They explain how this will benefit cancer patients from Kansas City and surrounding areas who no longer have to travel across the country for this advanced therapy.
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