Roberts Proton Facility
WHY PROTONS?
Proton therapy is widely considered the radiation treatment modality that allows the most precise targeting of dose and lowest unintended radiation dose to normal tissues. Radiation therapy requires that radiation be delivered into the body in total doses sufficient to assure that enough ionization events occur to damage and kill the cancer cells. Because conventional x-rays and electrons lack charge and mass, most of their energy from a single beam of either form of energy tends to be deposited in normal tissues near the body's surface instead of precisely within the tumor, and there is radiation dose deposited beyond the targeted cancer site as well. This undesirable pattern of energy placement can result in unintended damage to nearby healthy tissues, and prevent radiation oncologists from being able to deliver doses sufficient to control the cancer.
In contrast, protons can be energized to specific energies or velocities that precisely determine where the radiation dose is deposited. Protons deposit the radiation at a “Bragg peak” that specifically targets the tumor, with little dose beyond the target area. This means that the radiation dose that is given through protons is more precise, and the undesirable dose to normal tissues is considerably less. Because of this special quality of protons, the radiation oncologist can increase the dose to the tumor while reducing the dose to surrounding normal tissues. This in turn may allow the dose to be increased beyond that which conventional radiation will allow, resulting in a higher probability of cure and with fewer harmful side effects.
The Roberts Proton Facility of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine will be located in the new Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. (the Roberts Proton Facility has been made possible in part through a generous $15 million dollar bequest by the Roberts Family).
The artist’s rendition below shows the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.
Individual treatment rooms of the Roberts Proton Facility will be similar to that shown in this photograph:
The progress of the construction has been rapid:
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