Proton Therapy for Your Patients

Ronny Rotondo: Welcome to the Proton Therapy Center, Kansas City's first proton center and the 39th proton center in the country. I'm Dr. Ronny Rotondo, medical director of the Proton Therapy Center at The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

Ronald Chen: And I'm Dr. Ronald Chen, chair of radiation oncology. Patients of our Proton Therapy Center receive top of the line care from a team of proton experts unparalleled in their region. This includes nationally and internationally renowned radiation oncologists, medical physicists and dosimetrist.

Ronny Rotondo: These specialists, whom we've recruited from across the country will create a customized treatment plan for each patient. Now, we want to take you inside our NCI comprehensive cancer center's proton therapy center. Here is Jessica Lovell to give you a tour.

Jessica Lovell: Hard at work inside the Proton Therapy Center is a pencil thin beam of light giving new hope to cancer patients across the region and beyond.

Jessica Lovell: Hello, I'm Jessica Lovell and welcome to The University of Kansas Cancer Center. I'm standing in what I like to call, the healing hallway that leads back to the proton treatment room. This is where you'll come after you check in at the front desk.

Jessica Lovell: The dogwoods symbolize rebirth but this wood frame is also symbolic. This curve right here, it's intentional. It represents the Bragg-Peak of the proton beam. The precise point where protons stop on a dime to deliver a prescribed dose of radiation to the tumor but not beyond.

Jessica Lovell: So come along, there's must more to show you.

Jessica Lovell: These are the changing areas where you will wait for treatment. There's an area for men and women. Children wait in here too but don't worry, they have plenty of ways to entertain themselves prior, in a family waiting area with TV, animated games, floor art and interactive programming they can take with them, even into treatment.

Jessica Lovell: Now before I show you the treatment room, I want you to understand the prep work that happens first. All proton therapy patients go through a process called CT simulation and treatment planning in the radiation pavilion just down the hall. The CT scan provides imaging to precisely localize the tumor that will require proton therapy. Here, some patients may have a couple of tattoo dots placed on their body to indicate where the radiation beam will be directed.

Jessica Lovell: No worries about any other medical devices you might have, your medical team knows what to consider and that's all part of your personalized plan.

Jessica Lovell: Are you ready to see the vault? That's what we call the treatment room. Come with me.

Jessica Lovell: One of the first things you'll see is this video projection wall. Patients can select from 14 different scenic lighting and surround themes. There are calming scenes as well as jungles, oceans and even outer space. It's all customizable for children and adults. The room temperature is kept at 70 degrees. That's because the proton equipment produces a lot of heat.

Jessica Lovell: Notice the subdued lighting. There's wifi for music. You may bring your own playlist or podcast too. The cyclotron that delivers the proton therapy is behind that locked door. The nozzle delivers the pencil thin beam of protons to the patient. The patient lays on the table, this is when the mask is positioned, if you have one. Images are taken, rotating 220 degrees as the treatment can be delivered from multiple angles and then the nozzle is set. The therapists then exit the treatment room and go to the console area to deliver the treatment.

Jessica Lovell: No worries, cameras and microphones mean the therapists can still see and hear you. Your tumor type determines the number of beams and the length of treatment.

Jessica Lovell: There is absolutely no pain from proton therapy. In fact, you can't even feel the proton beam at all.

Jessica Lovell: While treatment deliver takes just a few minutes, on average it takes 30 minutes to position patients perfectly. There is anesthesia for children and adults who may need it.

Jessica Lovell: Once your treatment is done, you may leave unless it's an exam day. Exams with your doctor happen every five treatments or more often as needed.

Jessica Lovell: Okay, there's just one more thing I wanna show you and that's the proton therapy bell that sits across from the nursing station. When your treatments are done, you'll get to ring it and we'll be right there celebrating with you.

Jessica Lovell: Remember, our medical team is a combination of highly skilled and nationally renowned proton therapy experts available in the region only at The University of Kansas Cancer Center and we thank you for trusting us with your cancer care.

Bob Page: If there's a point of pride here it's that we have now earned the right to be spoken in the same sentence as the Hopkins, the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson, Mass General. And rightfully so.

Speaker 1: The University of Kansas Health System will be the first in the region to provide proton therapy. This type of therapy allows for more pinpointed treatment for cancer patients.

Bob Page: Proton therapy is one of the most advanced forms of radiation therapy for cancer patients.

Speaker 1: But until now, not easy for patients in the Kansas City metro or Midwest region to access. Currently, there are only 29 proton therapy centers nationwide.

Tammy Peterman: There are times when patients have to leave Kansas City for some of the most advanced treatments, such as proton. We don't want that to happen. We believe that with this announcement today we can keep even more patients here in Kansas City, closer to home, as they receive care.

Speaker 1: Proton therapy is a pencil-size beam that differs from regular radiation treatment by killing the cancer without harming nearby healthy tissue.

Terry Tsue: This type of a particle, which is a proton particle, part of the nucleus, is delivered to the patient, and then when it hits the cancer all of its energy is dissipated in killing that cancer. Other types of radiation then go on beyond that cancer and can cause damage in normal tissue.

Speaker 1: Proton therapy is FDA approved and covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most insurance companies. More important, research has demonstrated its effectiveness with minimal side effects, plus proton therapy has been shown to lower the risk of secondary cancers in patients. In 18-24 months this new technology will be available here for both adult and pediatric patients.

Roy Jensen: Pediatric cancer, we've made incredible progress against this disease. Back in the 1960s maybe 10% of kids survived pediatric cancer, and now it's well over 80%, and depending on the type of cancer it's over 90%.

Narrator: Hospital leaders say bringing proton therapy to the University of Kansas Health System represents a multimillion-dollar commitment to this region, guided by a singular focus.

Bob Page: Put the patient in the center of your decision making. Put all your efforts around what's the right thing to do for the patients. Put the technology around it, you put the resources around that. This is just another step in that process.

Speaker 1: The process of changing how healthcare is delivered today and in the future.