CDH proton center to start treating patients soon

Cancer patients soon will be able to take advantage of the first proton therapy center in the state.

Officials with Central DuPage Hospital and ProCure Treatment Centers have scheduled an Oct. 19 grand opening for the $140 million facility in Warrenville. The first patient treatment is planned for Nov. 1.

"We're really excited," said James Williams, president of the CDH Proton Center, a ProCure Center. "I think we can make a big and quick impact here."

During a Thursday preview for the media, officials said ProCure already has received inquiries from dozens of residents and had consultations with more than 20 patients about six have been deemed appropriate for proton therapy.

And that's before any advertisements have run.

"It's word-of-mouth," Williams said. "People are finding out there is a proton therapy center right here in their own backyard and they are calling us. They have already researched this pretty well and they are ready for treatment."

Williams said people are excited about the benefits of proton therapy, which is an advanced form of radiation therapy that uses proton beams to treat a variety of cancers.

Like traditional radiation therapy, proton therapy kills cancer by preventing the cells from growing and dividing. But because the proton beam can be specifically targeted at the tumor, higher, more effective doses can be delivered while causing less damage to healthy tissue.

"The basic take-home message is that proton therapy is safer than standard radiation," said Dr. William Hartsell, the proton center's medical director. "And because it's safer, it can be more effective. Now that's not true for every disease site. But as we went through the list, there are a lot of disease sites where the proton therapy is much safer."

The types of tumors that can be treated with proton therapy include head and neck, brain, central nervous system, prostate, lung, gastrointestinal and a variety of pediatric cancers, officials said.

CDH received state approval to construct the 60,000-square-foot facility in September 2008. The building went up in record time along Weaver Parkway, just south of I-88.

"The facilities that have been built before have taken unbelievable amounts of time to go from concept to actual opening," Williams said. "Some of the university projects have taken seven-plus years."

Still, Williams stresses ProCure, which opened its first facility last year in Oklahoma City, wasn't rushing to build the ninth proton therapy center in the country.

"This is all we do, so we can dedicate the resources needed to get it done," he said. "It's about getting the place built and getting patients treated as soon as possible."

Once the proton therapy center in Warrenville reaches full capacity, it will be capable of treating roughly 1,500 patients a year.

Right next to the proton therapy center, patients already are using the recently opened CDH Cancer Center, which offers a variety of outpatient diagnostics, treatment and support services. That $35 million cancer center provides comprehensive care for patients should they have extra medical needs while being treated with proton therapy, officials said.