DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORLD’S FIRST ONCOLOGY TREATMENT SYSTEM USING PROTON THERAPY

Author: HORAN VUKOVLYAK

Designing proton therapy cancer treatment rooms seems almost as complicated as the treatment itself. Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint uses an advanced proton therapy approach to care for cancer patients.

Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint uses an advanced proton therapy approach to care for cancer patients. Proton therapy is currently one of the most promising methods of cancer treatment, including brain, breast, prostate, and eye tumors, as well as some types of oncology in children.

Proton therapy is radiation therapy that destroys cancer cells without significantly damaging the surrounding healthy tissue. The treatment is painless and quick, and the side effects experienced by patients are less severe compared to standard radiation therapy.

In early 2022, McLaren Health Care announced an expansion of the proton therapy institute, which includes the decoration and renovation of the third proton therapy storage facility. The facility is a leader in the development of radiation therapy technology for cancer patients and has created a revolutionary vertical treatment and imaging system called Marie, which takes up half the space of previous proton therapy systems.

Proton therapy requires a lot of technology for both setup and treatment processes. Employees are not allowed in the vault during the treatment, meaning the entire process is carried out with the help of cameras and robotics. In addition, the entire system from the patient chair to the equipment storage and beam delivery nozzle and in-room imaging capabilities are also highly specialized.

For safety reasons, treatment rooms are surrounded by concrete walls four to eight feet thick. In addition, the placement of electrical cables requires collaboration with engineering partners to ensure the effectiveness of the concrete shielding structure.

The complexity of the treatment technology, combined with the design requirements of a specialized treatment room, means that building the equipment needed to deliver proton therapy is expensive.

LEO Cancer Care recently developed a new vertical treatment and imaging system for proton therapy. The patient sits in a natural upright position, allowing the chair to move the patient in front of the static proton beam, reducing the need for the tons of steel and concrete that support traditional systems that revolve around the patient. In addition, the vertical system improves cardiovascular function, provides more even breathing, provides eye contact with the attending physician, and reduces radiation exposure to surrounding organs.

The vertical system of the equipment is unique and halves the space required for treatment.

When McLaren Health Care built the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Flint in late 2012, it was designed to house three conventional rotating proton storage units.

When LEO Cancer Care developed a new vertical treatment, McLaren Health Care asked Gresham Smith to plan and design the space to meet the needs of the revolutionary new technology, as well as provide flexibility for the future. Gresham Smith offered the following visualization of an oncology treatment room with proton therapy.

Thanks to the new equipment size, the third healing vault could be split into two smaller rooms — two new healing rooms instead of one. Each proton therapy chamber is about the same size as a surgical chamber, but includes significantly more technology and thicker concrete walls. As the project effectively splits the room in half, additional mechanical, electrical, plumbing, energy systems and IT technology were required.

The design calls for protrusions in the central concrete wall to allow for the installation of an A-frame, which will allow the equipment to be vertically lifted and positioned within the space. As the technology continues to evolve, it will also give the Cancer Institute a viable option to replace the system in the future.

McLaren Health Care aims to support operations and patient care with minimal disruption, while creating a new space that is innovative and supportive of both patients and medical staff. The new storage facilities include adjacent control rooms with direct access to the treatment area, as well as a centralized storage area, a technical room and an IT room that will improve staff workflow. Images of nature are used throughout the treatment area to create a welcoming atmosphere for patients.

Adapting to McLaren Health Care’s needs while developing the expansion of the Karmanos Cancer Institute, the team found an innovative way to collaborate with both LEO Cancer Care and the hospital to implement the world’s first treatment program in Flint, Michigan. By repurposing the existing space in accordance with the needs of revolutionary technologies, the effectiveness of treatment is doubled.