Emory Proton Therapy Center Begins Construction

5/07/2013

A new era in cancer treatment in Georgia began this week as Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute joined state and local government officials to break ground on the first facility in Georgia to offer the most advanced radiation therapy possible – proton beam therapy. Proton therapy is the next generation of radiation oncology. It uses protons to precisely treat cancerous tumors throughout the body. The technology minimizes radiation to the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor and provides a more effective treatment with fewer side effects. While only offered by fewer than a dozen centers in the country, more than 110,000 people worldwide have received this FDA approved therapy. "This is significant for Winship but, more importantly, for our patients," says Walter J. Curran, Jr., MD, executive director of Winship Cancer Institute. "Proton beam therapy matters a great deal in improving outcomes in certain cancers, and in minimizing exposure to healthy tissues in others. We at Winship are committed to providing the most effective therapy to our patients that we can. For many patients, this will make a very big difference." VIEW FULL ARTICLE