Hillary Bennett and Catherine M. Mannix, RN, BSN, OCN
The diagnosis of a brain tumor is never welcome news for anyone. But this type of cancer is especially problematic in children, as their developing nervous systems are particularly sensitive to the effects of radiation, a major form of treatment for brain and other solid pediatric tumors.
Despite careful measures to minimize damage to healthy tissue close to the brain tumor, conventional radiation therapy, which uses X-rays to destroy cancer cells, may result in impaired growth, cognitive deficits, and the other undesirable long-term side effects.
Massachusetts General Hospital is one of only 29 hospitals in the U.S. that offers another alternative–proton beam therapy–for children with brain tumors, such as medulloblastomas and ependymomas, as well as optic gliomas and skull-base tumors. Through the department of Radiation Oncology’s Northeast Proton Therapy Center, young patients undergo treatment that delivers high-dose radiation precisely to their tumor while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
Protons, which are generated by a cyclotron, deposit their radiation dose differently than X-rays, which are generated by a linear accelerator. In general terms, X-rays deliver energy to the entire area, while proton beams primarily target only the tumor. This property is especially valuable when treating tumors close to sensitive tissues or critical organs, such as the brain.
Proton treatment for brain tumors requires highly individualized planning to ensure that the radiation conforms precisely to the tumor throughout the entire course of treatment, which is typically administered five days a week for 4 to 6 weeks.
Requiring the expertise of a multidisciplinary team under the direction of the patient’s radiation oncologist, this planning involves using computed tomography (CT) and sometimes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to create three-dimensional images of the tumor and surrounding structures so that radiation can be appropriately dosed and targeted. It also requires creating individualized devices to position and immobilize the patient so that each day’s treatment can be accurately and consistently reproduced. Young children unable to remain still for treatment planning and daily treatments may also requires general anesthesia.
For more information about the Northeastern Proton Therapy Center through Massachusetts General Cancer Care for Children, call 617-724-1836 or visit www.massgeneral.org/cancer.
A reference list is included below for the proton centers in the US.
Written by Hillary Bennett and Catherine M. Mannix, RN, BSN, OCN, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Operating Proton Centers in the U.S.
Visit: https://protonbob.com/about-proton-therapy/us-proton-centers
- James M. Slater, M.D. Proton Treatment and Research Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA (1990)
- UCSF Medical Center, Davis, CA (low energy system, treats only ocular tumors)
- Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA (2003)
- M.D. Anderson Cancer Center’s Proton Center, Houston, TX (2006)
- University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute, Jacksonville, FL (2006)
- The Oklahoma Proton Center, Oklahoma City, OK (2009)
- Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center, Chicago, IL (2010)
- Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, Hampton, VA (2010)
- PENN Medicine Roberts Proton Therapy Center, Philadelphia, PA (2010)
- ProCure Proton Therapy Center, Somerset, NJ (2012)
- Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy Center, Seattle, WA (2013)
- The S. Lee Kling Proton Beam Center at Siteman Cancer Center, St. Louis, MO (2013), To visit, copy/paste link in your browser: https://siteman.wustl.edu/treatment/siteman-approach/radiation/proton-beam-therapy/
- Provision CARES Proton Therapy, Knoxville, TN (2014)
- Willis-Knighton Proton Therapy Center, Shreveport, LA (2014)
- Ackerman Cancer Center, Jacksonville, FL (2015)
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Laurie Proton Therapy Center, New Brunswick, NJ (2015)
- Texas Center for Proton Therapy, Irving, TX (2015)
- St. Jude Red Frog Events Proton Therapy Center, Memphis, TN (treats pediatric patients) (2015)
- Mayo Clinic Proton Beam Therapy Center, Rochester, MN (2015)
- Mayo Clinic Proton Beam Therapy Center, Phoenix, AZ (2016)
- Maryland Proton Treatment Center, Baltimore, MD (Univ. of MD) (2016)
- Center for Proton Therapy at Orlando Health/University of Florida Health Cancer Center, Orlando, FL (2016)
- University Hospital Seidman Cancer Center, Cleveland OH (2016)
- Cincinnati Children’s Proton Therapy Center, Cincinnati, OH (treats pediatric patients) (2016)
- Beaumont Proton Therapy Center, Royal Oak, MI (2017)
- California Protons Cancer Therapy Center, San Diego, CA (2017)
- Miami Cancer Institute Baptist Health South Florida, Miami, FL (2017)
- MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC (2018)
- Emory Proton Therapy Center, Atlanta, GA (2018)
- Provision CARES Proton Therapy, Nashville, TN (2018)
- Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren, Flint, MI (2019)
- New York Proton Center, New York, NY (opening July 2019)
- South Florida Proton Therapy Institute, Delray Beach, FL
Proton Centers in Construction or Under Development
- Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
- Dallas Proton Treatment Center, Dallas, TX
- Johns Hopkins Sibley Hospital Proton Therapy Center, Washington, DC
- Los Angeles Proton Therapy Center, Montebello, CA
- Scott Hamilton Proton Therapy Center, Franklin, TN
- Stephenson Proton Center at University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, OK
- University of Alabama, Birmingham
- Provision New Orleans, LA
- Provident ProtonCare at the Baton Rouge Health District, LA
Listing by the Brotherhood of the Balloon, Home/About Proton Beam Therapy
Link from this site includes information worldwide: https://www.ptcog.ch/index.php/facilities-in-operation
2019