Provision Center for Proton Therapy Treats 1,000th Patient
Knoxville, TN (June 7, 2016)—
Today, 1,000 patients have graduated from the Provision Center for Proton Therapy, completing their course of proton therapy as part of their journey to defeating cancer. The 1000th patient marks an important milestone in the proton center’s development into a critical component of the comprehensive cancer campus at Dowell Springs and as a community resource in East Tennessee.
The center launched operations on January 20, 2014, with one treatment room. Three patients underwent therapy the center’s first day of business. Today the center is treating more than 90 patients per day in three treatment rooms. Each patient closes out his or her round of treatment by ringing the “victory bell” in the proton therapy center lobby, part of Provision’s unique “Culture of Care” experience.
The center has treated cancer affecting 53 sites in the body including head and neck, lung, esophageal, endocrine, prostate, breast, brain, bladder, sarcoma, tongue, lymph nodes, sinuses, bladder, eye and colon cancers as well as pediatric cancers.
Patients have come to Knoxville from 29 states and eight countries including the Netherlands, Taiwan, Mexico, Brazil and China. Thirty-four percent of patients travel to Provision Center for Proton Therapy from out of town, making East Tennessee home during their four-to-eight-week treatment while they experience our local and regional hospitality. More than 10,000 hotel room nights have been contributed to the Knoxville area since the center opened, greatly impacting the local and state economy.
Nearly 600 patients who graduated from treatment have now become Ambassadors—champions for Provision and proton therapy.
“With 1,000 patients successfully treated, we have established our reputation for excellence in medical treatment and customer care,” says Tom Welch, president of Provision Center for Proton Therapy. “Since we’ve opened our doors, many of the area physicians have seen the benefits of proton therapy for their patients and have continued to grow their support and involvement in our center. We are proud to have been the 13th proton center operating in the United States and excited to see that number grow to 22 in less than three years. Knoxville is very fortunate to be able to access this wonderful, proven treatment for cancer patients.”
Unlike conventional radiation therapy, which uses x-rays, protons deposit their energy in a specified location, treating the cancer and sparing the patient. Provision features state-of-the-art technology including pencil beam scanning, which allows more precise targeting of the cancer, sophisticated treatment planning and management software and innovations such as SpaceOAR gel, which further protects vulnerable organs from radiation in prostate cancer patients.
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About Provision Center for Proton Therapy
Provision Center for Proton Therapy is the first cancer treatment center of its kind in Tennessee and only the third in the Southeastern United States. Open to all credentialed physicians and health systems in the region, the Provision Center for Proton Therapy has three treatment rooms and is able to treat up to 900 cancer patients annually. The center utilizes intensity modulated pencil beam scanning, the most accurate proton beam therapy in the world. This advanced cancer treatment capability is available in only a handful of cities. Provision Center for Proton Therapy is one of only 17 proton therapy centers in the nation and 50 in the world.