What is a cyclotron?

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine, Seattle Children’s) and Proton Therapy, A ProCure Center, are opening a new center on the campus of Northwest Hospital in north Seattle, on N 115th between Aurora and Meridian.

Photos show the lift of the bottom portion of the cyclotron at Northwest Hospital on the morning of March 17.  The ProCure Center will be opening in March of 2013.  

Chris Chandler, Annika Andrews, Ben Kaanto, George Larimore
on the site of the new Seattle Cancer Care Alliance facility.
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Annika Andrews is the new president for ProCure (She is formerly from NW Hospital) and George Larimore is the Medical Director (He is from the UW).

The cyclotron is carefully positioned.
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

What is a cyclotron?

A cyclotron is the core piece of equipment used in proton therapy. It is the source of protons used in treatment and the heart of a proton center. Eighteen feet in diameter and eight feet in height, the cyclotron weighs as much as a Boeing 747 jet – about 220 tons. The cyclotron is responsible for splitting the proton and the electron of a hydrogen atom and accelerating protons to nearly the speed of light to create a beam of energy. This beam of energy is then steered by electromagnets to individual treatment rooms and shaped specifically to conform to the tumor size and outline for precision in treatment delivery.

The cyclotron is carefully lowered into place
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

About ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc.

Procure Treatment Centers, Inc. is a privately held health care company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with cancer by increasing access to proton therapy. The company was founded in 2005 in Bloomington, Indiana, and is the first to develop a network of proton therapy centers in cities across the United States. The ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City opened in July 2009, the CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center, located in Warrenville, Illinois, opened in October 2010 and the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset, N.J., opened in March 2012. ProCure’s fourth center is under construction in Seattle, WA (opening 2013) and others are in development. ProCure provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach fo the design, construction and financing, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of proton therapy centers.

About Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is a cancer treatment center that unites doctors from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s. Our goal, every day, is to turn cancer patients into cancer survivors. Our purpose is to lead the world in the prevention and treatment of cancer. SCCA has four clinical care sites: an outpatient clinic on the Hutchinson Center campus; a pediatric inpatient unit as Seattle Childern’s; an adult inpatient unit at UW Medical Center; and a radiation oncology clinic on the campus of Northwest Hospital.

Treatment room, under construction
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

What is Proton Therapy?

Proton therapy is a form of radiation therapy that has been FDA-approved to treat cancerous tumors since 1988. Proton therapy and x-ray therapy both kill cancer cells by preventing them from dividing and growing. The difference between these therapies is that protons can be guided to deposit the greatest amount of radiation right into the tumor, then stop, allowing the patients to receive high doses with less risk of damage to nearby healthy tissues. In contrast, x-ray radiation releases substantial doses of energy to healthy tissue and organs on the way to the tumor and continues to deliver radiation as it leaves the body.

Treatment room, under construction
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

Proton therapy has been used successfully to treat prostate cancer, pediatric cancer, and tumors in areas difficult to access, such as brain, and tumors near the spine.

In addition, the advantages of proton therapy often make it the preferred option for treating most solid tumors in children. It also has shown promising results in the treatment of cancers that cannot be removed completely by surgery.

Information source: SCCA webpage