The boon of NIU's proton therapy

Last week, Northern Illinois University made a significant step toward bringing a state-of-the-art proton therapy cancer treatment center to the Chicago area when officials broke ground.

This project is only the sixth of its kind in the entire country and is slated to open its doors in 2010.

Regularly, I hear stories about cancer patients who are waiting desperately for this kind of treatment.

Many of these patients are young children who have been diagnosed with very serious cases of brain cancer and have very few treatment options to facilitate a full recovery.

Because of potential negative developmental issues associated with treating pediatric patients with traditional radiation technology, proton therapy is the only real answer.

As with any type of disease, time is always a critical factor.

This is one of the main reasons officials at NIU have worked tirelessly to see this project built in the Chicago region and have it ready within 24 months.

Our hope is to save many of these lives by opening this center, treating patients, continuing to develop this promising technology through extensive research and advancing the education of health care professionals.

NIU is excited to bring proton therapy to Chicagoland, and we look forward to opening the doors in less than two years.

Manuel Sanchez

NIU Board of Trustees

Chicago