Leading-edge radiation treatment facility to serve Pacific Northwest
SEATTLE, Dec. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Steadfast support by Washington Sen.
Patty Murray and the western Washington state congressional delegation has
resulted in $2.1 million in federal funding designated to help development
of a state-of-the-art proton-beam therapy center by the Seattle Cancer Care
Alliance (SCCA). The money is included in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations
bill signed by President Bush on Thursday, Dec. 20.
"The leadership of Senator Murray and Congressman Dave Reichert for
this important regional resource for cancer patients is tremendously
appreciated," said Norm Hubbard, executive vice president of the Seattle
Cancer Care Alliance. "These funds are vital to help with the early
capitalization of the project."
"I am so proud to be able to help the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance to
further their work of improving cancer medicine and saving lives," Murray
said. "This project is about helping science to move forward and providing
hope for the millions of patients and families who suffer with the
realities of cancer."
"This funding victory will help make a promising new treatment a
reality for patients fighting cancer, especially children," said Reichert.
"I was pleased to work with my colleagues to secure $1.4 million for SCCA
in the Health and Human Services appropriations bill, and I'm especially
proud that my advocacy brought home an additional $738,000 for this
important new therapy in a separate spending measure. This success is a
great example of how members can work together in the best interest of
their constituents."
The SCCA's Proton Beam Center is projected to open in early 2012. The
center will serve patients from the six-state Pacific Northwest region of
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana and Wyoming.
Proton therapy uses an external beam of precisely-targeted, high-energy
protons. The primary difference between proton beam therapy and
conventional radiation therapy is the ability to deliver radiation more
precisely to the tumor without damaging healthy tissues. There are only
five full-scale proton beam centers currently operating in the United
States; the closest to Seattle is in southern California.
Proton beams are used today to treat many solid-tumor cancers such as
those of the eye, skull base, head and neck, and prostate. However, the
potential exists to treat many more types of tumors, including those of the
lung, breast and abdomen. Researchers are particularly interested in the
use of proton-beam therapy for children, who are more sensitive to the side
effects of radiation than adults.
"Proton beam radiation is considered one of the major advances in
radiation therapy to treat cancerous tumors," said George Laramore, M.D,
Ph.D., chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of
Washington.
"Proton beam radiation is a tremendous breakthrough in the care of
children with cancer," said Thomas Hansen, M.D., Children's Hospital and
Regional Medical Center CEO. "I applaud the efforts of Senator Murray and
Congressman Reichert and the delegation for helping to deliver this state
of the art treatment to the children of the Northwest."
"We are delighted to see the SCCA working to make this emerging
technology available as a valuable treatment option for the physicians and
cancer patients in our community," said Gregg Davidson, CEO of Skagit
Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, a charter member of the SCCA's growing
network of affiliated hospitals and physicians throughout the Northwest.
About Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, established in 1998, unites the adult and
pediatric cancer-care services of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,
UW Medicine and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center. A major
focus of SCCA is to speed the transfer of new diagnostic and treatment
techniques from the research setting to the patient bedside while providing
premier, patient-focused cancer care. Patients who come to SCCA receive the
latest research-based cancer therapies as well as cutting-edge treatments
for a number of non-malignant diseases under development by its partner
organizations. SCCA has three clinical-care sites: an outpatient clinic on
the Fred Hutchinson campus, a pediatric-inpatient unit at Children's and an
adult-inpatient unit at UW Medical Center. For more information about SCCA,
visit http://www.seattlecca.org.
Media Contact:
Dean Forbes, (206) 667-2896; 206-605-0311
dforbes@fhcrc.org
SOURCE Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
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Related links:
http://www.seattlecca.org
CONTACT:
Dean Forbes, +1-206-667-2896, or
+1-206-605-0311, dforbes@fhcrc.org, for Seattle Cancer Care
Alliance
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