Health Talks: Ohio State opens first proton therapy center for cancer in central Ohio

Together with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC –James) has launched the first proton therapy center in central Ohio that will serve both adult and pediatric patients with cancer.

Proton therapy is an advanced cancer treatment that precisely targets tumor cells by administering positively charged particles to the tumor location while avoiding damage to nearby healthy tissue and organs. This therapy can be used to treat many types of cancer, even recurrent and more aggressive cancer in adults.

Therapy sessions occur over a few days or weeks depending on the type of cancer and how a patient responds to the treatment.

The benefits to using proton therapy in the treatment of certain cancers include:

• Enhanced precision — Proton therapy allows you to receive a potent yet precise dose of radiation directly to your tumor while avoiding surrounding tissues uninvolved by the tumor.
• Minimal side effects — The treatment has a minimal effect on your quality of life, both in the minutes or hours following a session
• No surgery required — For certain people with inoperable tumors, proton therapy can sometimes be an ideal treatment.

In this Health Talks video, radiation oncologist Arnab Chakravarti, MD, chair of the Department of Radiology at Ohio State, explains proton therapy and the new center.