Two health care providers are bringing advanced cancer treatment to patients in South Jersey with the new $45 million Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Proton Therapy Center in Voorhees.
Located on Virtua’s campus, it will be the first proton therapy center in South Jersey and among fewer than 50 in the U.S., according to an Oct. 17 announcement.
“Proton therapy offers new hope for people with complex or recurring cancers, and we are thrilled to bring this world-class care to our community,” Stephanie Fendrick, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Virtua Health, said in a statement.
Proton therapy is a painless, noninvasive treatment that uses a beam of high-energy protons to eliminate cancer cells, the systems explained. It involves the acceleration of sub-atomic particles to about 450 million miles per hour, a speed necessary to create the energy needed to deliver targeted radiation, said Dr. James Metz, chair of radiation oncology at Penn Medicine.
The 8,600-square-foot facility, which started construction in June 2020, is expected to open to patients by early 2023. The center is connected to the existing Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Radiation Oncology suite.
How does it all work?
Penn Medicine and Virtua Health recently hosted a preview event, which included behind-the-scenes tours of the technology.
Located out of sight to patients, a 90-ton device called a cyclotron is the primary component to the therapy. The cyclotron sits in an underground vault, enclosed by 8-foot-by-21-foot-thick concrete walls. The facility also houses a 90-ton gantry, which is used to direct the proton beam to hit the tumor.
Did you know?
- The center required 300 truckloads of concrete.
- The cyclotron and gantry traveled 4,000 miles by ship from Germany to the port in Newark.
- The tractor-trailer that delivered the cyclotron to Voorhees was 101 feet long.
- The tractor-trailer, shipping container and cyclotron together weighed more than 300,000 pounds.
Sound intense? The physicians said the average treatment will take about 30 minutes from arrival to departure.
The health centers said this advanced form of radiation therapy, which can be used for various types of cancer, offers new potential for recovery, survival and quality of life. Also, it’s a preferred option for tumors located near highly sensitive areas (such as the spinal cord, heart and brain) or for those that cannot be fully removed by surgery.
Fendrick added that the center is a “major milestone in Virtua’s longtime partnership with Penn Medicine.”
Penn Medicine and Virtua Health’s collaboration dates to 2015 and includes both cancer and neuroscience services. The new center is part of the Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Cancer Program, which provides cancer care to patients in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties.
“At the core of our partnership with Virtua is our commitment to making it convenient for patients to get the very best care, as close to their homes as possible,” said Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Virtua President and CEO Dennis Pullin added, “It’s an incredible source of hope to have right here in South Jersey.”
