February 18, 2008 –ProCure Treatment Centers Inc. and the University of Pennsylvania’s Roberts Proton Therapy Center have an agreement to provide advanced training programs and accredit medical professionals in proton therapy, an alternative to conventional radiation therapy that avoids many of the side effects inherent in treatment.
The agreement focuses on expanding research on the technology to be used for the delivery of proton therapy and developing new protocols using protons to treat a wider range of cancer tumors.
Protons are currently used primarily to treat about a dozen diagnoses including base-of-skull tumors, ocular melanoma, sinus tumors, pediatric cancers and prostate cancer. As more centers are developed and the capacity for patients increases, the Roberts Proton Therapy Center and ProCure have agreed to establish new clinical studies to evaluate the use of protons in areas such as proton therapy in combination with chemotherapy and the improved results obtained from increasing the dose delivered to the tumor. ProCure’s network of proton therapy centers will significantly increase the number of patients that can potentially be enrolled in studies, according to the company. The Center will provide oversight, establish data collection procedures, analyze data and work through any necessary regulatory process.
It is anticipated that within the next five years, at least 10 new proton therapy facilities will open in the U.S., including the Roberts Proton Therapy Center and several centers under development by ProCure, resulting in a need for trained staff at all levels. The Center and ProCure intend to collaborate on setting standards for proton therapy education and training, and will offer accreditation in the field. Training programs are slated to be provided at the ProCure Training and Development Center (TDC), a training center dedicated exclusively to proton therapy. The 20,000-square-foot training facility is located in Bloomington, IN. The TDC simulates a working proton therapy center and will provide training for radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, radiation therapists and other staff.
For more information: www.procurenews.com
August 09, 2024 
