Tour of the new Mercy Proton Therapy Center & How the Cyclotron Delivers Cancer-Killing Treatment

The massive size of a cyclotron is too big for a single floor of a building and too big to be delivered through doorways, so construction of additional building space at Mercy Hospital St. Louis was required. Before the new building had a ceiling and roof, a crane lifted the 30,000 pound cyclotron several stories into the air before lowering it into its new home at the David C. Pratt Cancer Center in July of 2021. A year later, the Mercy Proton Therapy Center is now open.
The powerful cyclotron produces proton particles, generating high-energy beams of protons to tumors. The proton therapy at Mercy Hospital St. Louis uses pencil beam scanning technology that has a targeted delivery system. It’s called a pencil beam because it’s only a few millimeters wide, the width of a pencil.
Once delivered, protons interact with electrons in the atoms of cancer cells. A series of interactions result in damage to the DNA of the cancer cell, resulting in cell death and killing cancer.
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[@kentclark9740]

Does this kill the cancer 100% of the time or only some cancers?

[@brucetouzel6484]

Proton beam cost is about $200M. Its a shame to see that Canada has NO proton beam treatment centers. US has about 45. Carbon-ion is also cutting edge but more costly and harder to find. World summary here: www.ptcog.site/index.php/facilities-in-operation-public

[@3618499]

@Bruce Touzel 😯 " It's ONLY a matter of time.... Undoubtedly, some place within Canada is planning one or more. Proton Beams are very expensive and not ' one size fits all ' . As the result, costs typically depend upon various factors (Ex: Manufacturers, Unit Size, Type, Etc.) Various institutions use them for specific purposes. Large academic medical institutions are more inclined to use them not just for patients but clinical research and scientific experimental purposes. Which is why most, if not all, require a substantial financial collaboration between institutional funding and private donations. "

[@rivet4gm7]

Khainser !

[@GetOutsideYourself]

Dr. Frazier, a proton is not a molecule. I'd be a bit concerned about that gaffe coming from the chief of radiation oncology.

[@user-oo4pb3yy4b]

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