ABBCI Dedicates New Proton Therapy Center

At the Aug. 26 ABBCI Proton Therapy Center Dedication, proton patient alumnus Chuck Hurley (in yellow), along with wife Ashlee, daughter Brynn and son Nolan, listened as CEO John J. Herman recounted Chuck’s journey to Penn Medicine Philadelphia to receive curative proton therapy for his rare cancer. Chuck is cured of his cancer and is doing beautifully thanks to his team of doctors and Penn Medicine! Lancaster region patients will no longer need to travel to Philadelphia, as Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health brings proton therapy to the ABBCI, right to the patients of Central Pennsylvania! We do this work and make these enormous investments for our patients and their families, just like the Hurleys.

We are very excited to be bringing proton beam therapy to join our comprehensive radiation offerings at the ABBCI later this fall.  (Check out the recent WGAL coverage here.)

Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation treatment that uses proton beams (positively charged atoms) to damage cancer cells. Traditional radiation or “X-rays” enter the body from one side and exit the other side. Healthy tissues in the entrance and exit path of these X-rays are exposed to radiation. Proton beam therapy enters the body with a low dose, and the path of the beam is precisely controlled so it travels directly to the tumor and stops, without continuing through the body. This precision spares more healthy tissue and may result in lower risk of side effects, hospitalizations or complications for some cancers. Proton therapy is perhaps the most advanced treatment for tumors located close to critical organs and highly sensitive areas, such as the spinal cord and brain, heart and cancers in the head and neck. It also provides new options for patients whose cancers can’t be completely removed by surgery, or who have previously received standard radiation in the same area.

Our radiation department at ABBCI is fully integrated with the Penn Medicine team in Philadelphia. The Roberts Proton Therapy Center in Philadelphia, which opened in 2010, is the largest center in the world for both proton and standard radiation. Penn Medicine’s leadership in proton therapy has led the health system to treat more than 8,000 patients and provide training to more than 70% of the clinicians worldwide using this technology. Bringing this advanced technology here to Lancaster County will enable patients to receive this life-saving treatment close to home and continue to advance our mission of bringing advanced technology and clinical trials to the community we serve.

—Submitted by Pamela J. Boimel, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Radiation Oncology, Proton Therapy Center, and Radiation Oncology Research