Funding set for new cancer treatment

A new cancer treatment technology is one step closer to arriving in Salt Lake City. The Huntsman Cancer In-stitute (HCI) at the University of Utah (UofU) has announced a plan to add a proton therapy center to its cancer hospital. Huntsman Cancer Foundation, HCI and the UofU have agreed to dedicate the required funding to the project, HCI said in a release. The plan will now move forward to the next steps of design and vendor selection, HCI said.

{mprestriction ids="1,3"}Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy — a cancer treatment that delivers beams of radiation to shrink a tumor. Proton treatment has been found to be an effective radiation therapy option for numerous types of cancers that include childhood cancers and adult cancers such as head and neck tumors, brain tumors, prostate cancer, lymphomas, pancreas cancer and esophageal cancer. Proton therapy is often the favored course of treatment when a tumor is close to an important vital structure like the spinal cord or brain stem.

HCI will use Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) technology for its center. IMPT delivers precise, pencil-thin beams of protons to a tumor, providing an advantage over earlier scattered-beam therapy that is in place in other proton therapy centers. This helps to ensure the maximum dose of radiation to the tumor, while minimizing the damage to surrounding healthy tissues. As a result, patients suffer from fewer side effects from their radiation. 

“An intensity modulated proton therapy center in Utah adds a critical new tool to our array of outstanding radiation therapy technology and research here at HCI,” said Dr. Dennis Shrieve, professor and chair of radiation oncology at the UofU and investigator at HCI. “This new technology will allow patients who will most benefit from proton therapy to avoid disruptive travel far from home. Further, HCI will be able to contribute to research in most effective uses of intensity modulated proton therapy technology in the treatment of cancer.”

The nearest proton centers to Salt Lake City are currently located in southern Arizona and central California. Patients who are given proton therapy may need to plan for a treatment course that occurs five days a week and spans four to eight weeks. HCI estimates it refers more than 40 patients per year to centers out of state.

“Bringing proton therapy to Utah is completely in keeping with the vision we had when we founded HCI over two decades ago,” said Jon M. Huntsman, founder and principal benefactor of HCI. “I remain absolutely committed to ensure that our patients have access the very best equipment and expertise to fight their cancer. Proton therapy is yet another tool we will bring to our patients to give them the best possible outcomes against this dreadful disease.”

“Approximately half of all cancer patients receive some type of radiation therapy as a part of their treatment,” said Dr. John Sweetenham, senior director of clinical affairs at HCI and professor of medicine at the UofU. “We have observed research in the effectiveness of proton therapy over the past several years. After extensive analysis, we determined it was an important investment to make to bring this technology to our patients here in the Mountain West.”

HCI leaders anticipate they will initiate a public bidding process to identify an appropriate equipment supplier in the coming weeks. Final project specifications will be subject to approval by institutional and state bodies. The proposed location for the new center will be on the south end of the cancer hospital at HCI. It is projected to serve approximately 200 patients a year and is projected to be operational in fall 2020.{/mprestriction}