A new form of radiation therapy that uses proton beams to control cancer cells will soon be made available in New York, thanks, in part, to NYU.
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In February, construction will begin on the New York Proton Center, a $235 million undertaking that is being backed by five New York City hospitals, including the NYU Langone Medical Center.
The center, which will be built on 57th Street between 11th and 12th avenues, has been in the works since last November when talks began between NYU Langone and the Beth Israel Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
NYU Langone spokesperson Lisa Greiner said the university believes the center is important for continued investment and research in cancer treatment, including new technologies that are helping to eradicate the disease.
"The proton-beam center will complement the services we currently provide and allow us to combat relatively rare cancers and tumors with lower radiation-related side effects than conventional therapies," she said.
The State Department of Health approved the construction permit in response to a demonstration of applied research before Public Health Council officials. NYU, along with other academic institutions, petitioned the need to determine the efficacy of proton therapy in comparison with conventional radiotherapy.
In proton therapy, beams of protons are used to irradiate diseased tissue. This practice is most often used as cancer treatment.
William Carroll of Langone Medical Center explained it at its most basic level as "a new way of delivering radiation therapy that's a lot more targeted."
Data from the projected clinical trials at the new center will be instrumental in establishing patterns for care administration.
Despite proton therapy's broad application, little research exists that makes proton therapy the clear choice over existing treatments.
But according to Carroll, existing technology is still beset by the possibility of unwanted tissue irradiation.
"In situations like pediatric brain tumors where you're dealing with a growing, developing brain, it's very important to avoid the collateral damage of conventional radiation therapy," Carroll said.
While proton therapy could prove superior in aggravated forms of cancer, Carroll emphasized the need for further clinical research before this method can fully supplant existing practices.
In testing the new method, doctors have seen positive results in treating brain and spinal tumors and eye and prostate cancers. In each test, tissues around the targeted area were left undamaged by the procedure.
But not everyone shares the enthusiasm behind the venture. National Cancer Institute doctor Bhadrasain Vikram remains skeptical.
"Human beings aren't static," Vikram said. "Just because something looks pretty on the computer screen doesn't mean it works."
Vikram stressed that the scientific community currently has no way of knowing if proton therapy is better or even as effective as conventional treatments.
"[Even after] countless investments by the government and other sources, we still don't know how effective it truly is," Vikram said. "You wouldn't put 500 people on a jet and fly it without doing some test runs, but [treatment] occurs all over the place in uncontrolled studies."
Randomized trials and comparative clinical studies by researchers would allow doctors to better understand the method's capabilities.
"If the universities dedicate themselves to controlled testing, I think it's a good idea," Vikram said.
The New York Proton Center is expected to open for clinical treatment studies in 2014 for a limited body of patients.
