Researchers Gather to Discuss Therapy Alternative for Breast Cancer

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Radiation oncologists from some of the country’s leading cancer centers will meet in Phoenix later this week to discuss the appropriate use of proton beam therapy in the treatment of breast cancer. Proton therapy is a highly precise form of radiation currently being used to treat a number of cancers and non-cancerous tumors.

“We now know that breast cancer patients treated with standard radiation have a risk of developing secondary side effects”

Recent studies have reported that long-term side effects from standard radiation therapy for breast cancer can include damage to the heart and lungs, particularly in cases where the left breast is involved and radiation treatments “bathe” these vital organs. In many cases, the side effects do not emerge until 10 years or more after treatment.

Proton therapy is ionizing (high energy) radiation and has the same destructive mechanism in attacking cancer cells as X-ray radiation, but because of its precision, protons are able to provide higher doses of radiation energy to tumors without increasing rates of side effects.

“We now know that breast cancer patients treated with standard radiation have a risk of developing secondary side effects,” said Dr. Eugen Hug, ProCure’s chief medical officer. “That is why it is important for us as a medical community to come together and discuss new therapies and treatment options that can be equally as effective, but spare the long-term damage.”

The two-day conference, to be held at The Arizona Biltmore Feb. 8-9, is being sponsored by ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., and is drawing in over 35 researchers from around the country.

Proton therapy is most often used to treat tumors of the brain, central nervous system, head and neck, lung and prostate, as well as sarcomas and many pediatric cancers. Its precision makes it especially effective for treating children and adults with anatomically complex tumors such as base of skull and tumors along the spinal cord.

Clinical trials are currently under way to evaluate the effectiveness of proton therapy for breast cancer. Physicians at ProCure Centers in Oklahoma City, Warrenville, Ill., and Somerset, N.J., will be opening two trials within the coming months to study proton therapy for women with breast tumors who would be at a high risk for heart and lung side effects. One trial will study women with advanced breast tumors while another will study proton therapy for women with early stage tumors. Additional trials are being developed.

“Proton therapy may not be the right treatment option for everyone with breast cancer, which is why discussions like these and clinical trials are important to help physicians determine which patients can be treated most effectively with maximum long-term benefit,” Hug said. “Providing patients with the best possible treatment options is our priority.”

For more information about proton therapy, visit www.procure.com.

About ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc.

ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. is a privately held health care company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with cancer by increasing access to proton therapy. The company was founded in 2005 in Bloomington, Ind., and is the first to develop a network of proton therapy centers in cities across the United States. The ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City opened in July 2009, the CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center, located in Warrenville, Ill., opened in October 2010 and the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset, N.J., opened in March 2012. ProCure’s fourth center is under construction in Seattle, Wash. (opening March 2013) and others are in development. ProCure provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, financing, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of proton therapy centers. ProCure’s solution reduces the time, cost and effort necessary to build and operate a facility. ProCure is advancing proton therapy through innovation and improvements in technology, and by providing training at the world’s only educational facility specializing in proton therapy.