Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute treats first patient
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NovaSkegee:
September 05, 2010
Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute treats first patient
By Samieh Shalash
Daily Press
HAMPTON — — When Ronald Cosman was diagnosed with prostate cancer in October, his uro-surgeon handed him a list of treatment options. He chose one that included complete removal of his prostate.
Cosman canceled the surgery a week before his January appointment after a friend suggested he look into thr "proton institute thing" being built in town.
On Wednesday, Cosman, 64, became the first patient at the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute. Its official grand opening is in October. In the meantime, Cosman is one of about 75 patients who were on a list to receive treatment or consultations as the facility gets up and running.
"I was just a week away from having an operation and having no prostate at all," Cosman said, adding that he was excited but a bit nervous before his first treatment.
Proton therapy is billed as a noninvasive procedure that directly targets tumors without affecting surrounding healthy tissue. Most patients experience few or no side effects.
"You don't feel a thing," Cosman said Friday, a few hours before his third treatment. "You think 'Is this all it is?'"
Typical prostate treatments are given once a day for 44 days and take about 20 minutes each, said Cynthia Keppel, the institute's scientific and technical director. Actual radiation time is a minute
HU's institute is the eighth cancer-treatment center in the U.S. that uses proton therapy. The $225 million building on Magruder Boulevard was completed in late 2008 and has been installing equipment and hiring staff since then.
To treat Cosman, the proton beam is placed at his hip while he lays down in a mold shaped to his body. Being immobile is essential to the treatment, which uses sub-millimeter precision to deliver doses of radiation, Keppel said.
Cosman said he decided it was worth it to cancel his January surgery and wait until the center opened to receive treatment because his cancer was slow-growing and didn't have to be treated immediately. He was diagnosed with it in 50 percent of his prostate.
"It just blew my mind," Cosman said about proton therapy not being listed as a treatment option by his doctor last year. "This building has been out there for two and a half years, it's not like there was a sign in an empty field that says 'Coming Soon.'"
Keppel said the center is treating local patients with prostate cancer first, because it's a less-aggressive form of cancer that's easier to treat.
http://articles.dailypress.com/2010-09-05/news/dp-nws-hu-first-patient-20100831_1_proton-beam-proton-therapy-cancer-treatment-center
Jaimac:
:clap:
Brother Tony:
AWESOME NEWS! :nod: :clap: :bow:
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