The Oklahoma Proton Center celebrated the graduation of its 4,000th patient. Mr. Eric Green was a 59-year-old prostate cancer patient who chose the Oklahoma Proton Center for treatment after considering several different options.
Mr. Green said he chose Oklahoma Proton Center because the potential for reduced side-effects with proton therapy were important to him and because of the facility’s experience treating thousands of patients.
Oklahoma Proton Center is one of a few proton centers in the country to reach the 4,000 patient milestone. The facility opened in 2009 as the 6th proton center in the country and remains one of just 5 centers in the southwest.
David Raubach, Chief Development Officer at the Center, acknowledged the significance of the milestone:
“The team at Oklahoma Proton Center is one of the most experienced in the country. The facility has been a pioneer in protontherapy for a decade and continues to lead the way in treating new disease sites and developing advanced treatment protocols. We are excited for where the future leads.”
Mr. Green’s treatment lasted 8 weeks and included treatments Monday through Friday. He said the staff might have stood out most about his experience:
“I was blown away by the staff at Oklahoma Proto Center. The kindness they showed me during my time here is something you won’t find anywhere else. They truly care about you. Do the research. You won’t regret your decision.”
Dr. John Chang, Medical Director of Oklahoma ProtonCenter, said proton therapy has unique physical properties that give it advantages over other types of radiation treatment for cancer.
“Our goal as Oncologists is always to deliver more radiation to the tumor and less to healthy tissue. Protons are the best way to accomplish this because they can be stopped inside the tumor. We are often able to reduce radiation to healthy tissue by 80 percent or more versus the most advanced forms of X-Ray based radiation treatments.”
Mr. Green said he is looking forward to playing golf and bowling and does not have any lingering issues from treatment. He is looking forward to giving back to the center by playing in the upcoming Proton Pals Foundation golf tournament on June 3rd.