Breakthrough cancer treatment unveiled at Ohio State University
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A cancer treatment that doctors describe as a “game changer” is now available to certain patients in central Ohio.
Leaders from the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC – James) and Nationwide Children’s Hospital Wednesday evening officially opened the Proton Therapy Center with a ribbon cutting.
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“We’re over the moon excited about this recent development,” said Dr. Arnab Chakravarti, Chair of Radiation Oncology at OSUCCC-James. “This particular technology is probably the most advanced type of proton therapy out there.”
The new $100 million facility is 55,000 square feet. Proton therapy enables cancer to be treated while minimizing damage to healthy cells and organs that might be nearby, according to Chakravarti. He said having the treatment available in central Ohio is of huge benefit to patients and their families.
“For cancer patients in central Ohio who previously had to travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to receive proton therapy, they can stay closer to come and receive all of their treatments around the corner so to speak,” Chakravarti said.
The treatment is available for adults and children battling cancer.
“Proton therapy is important for all patients in certain settings because we don’t want to damage normal organs in adults either but for kids, it’s especially important because of the number of years left they have to live,” said Dr. Timothy Cripe, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology at NCH.
Cripe said work to open the new center had been going on for about 10 years.
“We want to cure these kids for 60, 70, 80 years. We don’t want them getting another cancer because of the treatment we gave them,” Cripe said. “Proton therapy allows us to tailor the radiation to the shape of the tumor and avoid exposure of the normal organs to the radiation.”
The treatment can be used to treat brain cancer, lymphoma, retinoblastomas, and sarcomas in children, and some localized cancers including prostate, brain, head and neck, lung, spine, and gastrointestinal in adults, according to OSUCCC-James.
Chakravarti said other advanced treatments are also being researched and developed at the center. He described the opening of the center as the “tip of the iceberg,” adding there’s lot’s to come with this type of technology over the next decade.
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