NEW YORK, June 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- New York Proton
Center, New York state's first
proton therapy facility, has opened its doors in East Harlem. A
consortium of three New York
City-based health care institutions—Memorial Sloan Kettering
Cancer Center (MSK), Montefiore Health System and Mount Sinai
Health System—will begin sending patients and providing clinical
expertise to the new center. ProHEALTH, a multi-specialty health
care network, provides back end business support for the
center.
Combining the expertise of radiation oncologists from nationally
regarded health systems with state-of-the-art proton beam
technology, the $300 million,
140,000-square-foot facility will be a beacon of top-quality cancer
care nationwide.
With a large number of patients coming from its consortium
hospital partners, in addition to patients and other providers
seeking out the latest in radiation oncology technology, New York
Proton Center will also be one of the busiest proton centers in the
country, serving as a vital resource for those in the New York metro region.
"Proton therapy has proven highly successful in treating a wide
variety of cancers and has increasingly become an integral tool in
reducing side effects and preserving quality of life," said Dr.
Charles Simone, New York Proton
Center's Chief Medical Officer. "Patients throughout the tri-state
area and beyond now have access to the most advanced radiation
treatment currently available."
"The opening of this facility represents an unprecedented
commitment to the future of cancer treatment," said Dr.
Simon Powell, Chair of Radiation
Oncology at MSK. "New York will
continue to lead in the struggle against cancer by offering
groundbreaking treatment for many of our most vulnerable
patients."
"Cancer therapy is more effective than ever, but the combination
of the number of treatments, keeping track of them, and getting to
and from each appointment is grueling for many," said Dr.
Shalom Kalnicki, FACRO, professor
and chair, Radiation Oncology, Montefiore Health System and
Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
"Through our research at the New York Proton Center, we can now
explore novel ways to better target and time a form of radiation
that spares healthy organs in a way that has never been possible
until now. Today marks the beginning of an improved care treatment
process and era where people can live longer, but also enjoy
healthier cancer-free lives."
"This center will not only provide metro area patients with an
extremely high level of care, but it will serve as the site of
clinical trials that hold the potential to significantly influence
the way we treat cancer," said Dr. Kenneth
Rosenzweig, Chair of Radiation Oncology at Mount Sinai. "Our mission is to deliver both
clinical excellence and innovative research that saves lives today
and in the future."
"With its unique consortium model of clinical partners, this
proton facility is well-positioned for success," said Allan Freeman, Chief Executive Officer of New
York Proton Center. "We intend to deliver an unparalleled patient
experience leveraging the most advanced proton technology available
anywhere in the world."
Leveraging pioneering technology
Whereas regular photon radiation pierces through its intended
target, often impacting sensitive organs and tissue, proton therapy
uses a more precise beam that stops at the tumor, drastically
reducing or even eliminating unnecessary irradiation to adjacent
healthy tissues.
There are 30 proton centers nationwide, but New York Proton
Center is one of the few that is equipped with the newest and most
effective treatment technology, including:
- second-generation proton therapy with pencil beam scanning that
allows optimal treatment for the most complex tumors
- volumetric imaging, which helps physicians precisely identify
and target cancers to millimeter accuracy
Clinical focus areas
The center's faculty of 23 proton therapy-trained radiation
oncologists, with decades of experience working at proton centers,
is much larger than most comparable centers. In addition to Dr.
Simone, the center's clinical leadership will include the chairs of
radiation oncology at each of its consortium partner institutions:
Dr. Powell (MSK), Dr. Kalnicki (Montefiore), and Dr. Rosenzweig
(Mount Sinai).
New York Proton Center's team will coordinate care with its
consortium partners to ensure a seamless patient experience. It
will treat patients with a wide variety of conditions, including
brain and spine tumors, head and neck tumors, breast cancer, lung
and other thoracic cancers, gastrointestinal cancers, sarcomas,
gynecologic cancers, prostate cancer, lymphomas and recurrent
cancers.
The center will also be the site of treatment for the vast
majority of children in the New
York metro region with solid tumors.
Research and clinical trials
In addition to delivering the highest standard of care to
patients, New York Proton Center will advance the body of clinical
evidence examining the effectiveness of proton therapy in the
treatment of various cancers.
An assortment of clinical trials will be conducted at the
facility, beginning on day one with studies evaluating the benefits
of proton therapy over photon therapy for breast cancer, head and
neck cancers, and prostate cancer, as well as for patients who have
already undergone extensive photon radiation and have tumor
recurrences.
The results of these studies have the potential to change the
standard of care for patient treatment and could provide the
evidence that would help increase the availability of proton
therapy to more patients.
Bringing the future of cancer treatment to East
Harlem
New York Proton Center anchors the 125th Street Development
Project, a New York City Economic Development Corporation
initiative aimed at revitalizing East Harlem as a hub of
innovation.
For additional information, please visit www.nyproton.com. High
resolution video and images of the center are also
available.
About New York Proton Center
New York Proton Center is
creating the gold standard for proton therapy, giving new hope to
patients living with cancer. In partnership with leading academic
medical centers—Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore
Health System, Mount Sinai Health System, and ProHEALTH as
manager—New York Proton Center brings together expert oncologists,
clinical care teams, and researchers to improve cancer care and
advance the clinical evidence for proton therapy.
Contact:
Nathaniel Goehring
nathaniel.Goehring@berlinrosen.com
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SOURCE New York Proton Center