William Hartsell, M.D., conducts a tour of the new CDH Proton Therapy Center in Warrenville, Ill., for local journalists, including this inclined beam treatment room, one of two in the facility.
October 1, 2010 — A new proton therapy center will open in the suburban Chicago area later this month, slated to begin treating patients November 1. Imaging Technology News editors were among a group of journalists given a pre-opening tour of the ProCure facility, affiliated with Central DuPage Hospital, on September 30.
The CDH Proton Center in Warrenville will have four treatment rooms when it is completed — two inclined beam rooms, one fixed horizontal beam room and one gantry room. The FDA-approved proton therapy equipment was manufactured by IBA of Belgium. The 60,000-square-foot facility, which cost roughly $140 million, will be able to treat approximately 1,500 patients per year at full capacity.
The center is staffed by Radiation Oncology Consultants, a group of 15 board-certified, local physicians. William F. Hartsell, M.D., is president of ROC and medical director of the center. Mark Pankuch, Ph.D., is the center’s director of medical physics and dosimetry. ProCure manages the center, ROC delivers the care and CDH provides all required ancillary services.
To complement the formal presentations about the center and discussion of proton therapy as a treatment for various forms of cancer, the event featured poignant testimonials from three patients who had undergone successful proton therapy treatments at other facilities. As residents of the greater Chicago area, they described the hardships imposed by having to leave their homes and travel great distances to receive treatment in other states, underscoring the benefits of having such a center now available closer to home.
For more information: www.procure.com/il