Michigan's First Proton Therapy Center Still on its Way

in Royal Oak continues to work toward becoming the first hospital in Michigan, and the tenth nationwide, to develop a specialized Proton Therapy Center despite delays due to the recent economic downturn.

Last month, hospital officials asked the state to amend their 2008 request to include a smaller facility that costs $85,000 less than originally proposed, said Bob Ortlieb, Beaumont spokesman.

The revised plan includes a newly constructed 25,000-square-foot, two-story facility with two treatment rooms. Beaumont's radiation oncologists and the hospital's partner, ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., are developing a smaller, less-expensive Proton Beam Therapy System that will include advancements such as high-temperature superconductor and multidimensional imaging.

"Total project costs are reduced by more than half, from $159 million in our original project to $79 million,'' Ortlieb said.

Construction is scheduled to start in December 2012 with the first patient receiving treatment by late February 2014.

"Because of our expertise in developing centers, we have been able to reduce the time it takes to build and open a center in about 24 months – as much as a year sooner than other centers being built,'' said Hadley Ford,  CEO of ProCure.  

ProCure is pleased to partner will Beaumont, he said.

"They have remained committed to developing a center through some difficult financial times,'' he said. "That's very good news for cancer patients in the state.''

Beaumont diagnoses more cancer patients that any other hospital in the state and is a leading provider of radiation oncology in Michigan. According to the American Cancer Society, there are nearly 54,000 new cancer patients in Michigan every year, about 9,600 of whom might benefit from this specialized outpatient treatment used to treat cancers of the head, neck, pelvis, prostate and central nervous system, and pediatric and prostate tumors.

"Bringing proton treatment to Michigan will benefit patients who now have to travel a long distance to access it,'' Ford said, adding that there will still be an enormous need for more centers. "It will add another treatment option for patients who would benefit from this particular therapy."

Currently, the closest such centers are in Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Others are in Florida, California and Massachusetts.

Beaumont estimates that the center will have the capacity to treat about 750 patients annually. Candidates need to be evaluated by physicians at the center to determine whether the treament will help.

"Proton therapy can precisely target a tumor, reducing radiation exposure to healthy tissues and reducing side effects, allowing patients to receive stronger, more-effective treatment doses,'' said Dr. Frank Vicini, chief, Beaumont Oncology Services. It also offers another treatment option to patients with recurring cancers, who cannot undergo traditional radiation therapy again.

Doctors across Michigan will be able to treat their patients at the center after being trained at ProCure's Training and Development Center in Bloomington, Ind., the world's only facility dedicated exclusively to proton therapy training.