New Generation Center for Cancer Treatment | Chronic

Argentina will be the first country in the region to have a proton therapy center focused on a beneficial treatment to treat tumors in children and reduce radiation exposure in healthy tissue . With an investment of $ 80 million, it will be a project of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).

Argentine Proton Therapy Center (Cearp) "it will be the first in Latin America and will put Argentina and its health institutions in the place of a leading role in the region as a reference institution ", stress Marcelo Vázquez, Professor at the University of Health Sciences Loma Linda, USA, the first center in the world to use this type of treatment in a hospital since 1990.

"Years ago, proton cancer treatment was shown to be of considerable utility because of the ability to control radiation more accurately than conventional treatments, such as X-rays or gamma rays. . " explained Vázquez. There are currently about 80 centers of this type in the world.

The project of this center, which should be operational by 2022, was presented Wednesday at the first Argentine Proton Therapy Workshop (WArP2019), at UBA 's Faculty of Dentistry. The WArP2019, organized by the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA), the UBA, the Garrahan Hospital and the Invap Society, will run until Friday and specialists from around the world will present themes related to cancer treatment in children and adults.

With proton therapy, "when pediatric patients have to be irradiated by brain tumors, for example, the maximum dose of radiation can be controlled at the site of the tumor and the dose around it minimized, which are healthy tissues "said Vázquez. This therapy is also targeted and is beneficial for tumors of the prostate and abdomen. In such cases, "Generally, conventional radiation has an entrance and exit through the body to irradiate a tumor that is in the center, and healthy tissue in front and behind receives a substantial dose of radiation, "he explained. dose to healthy tissue substantially "he summarized.

The Cearp will be built on land owned by the UBA, next to the Institute of Oncology Ángel H. Roffo, also close to the Foundation of the Nuclear Diagnostic Center (FCDN), thus forming a complete oncology pole for the fight against cancer. . It will have an area of ​​nearly 8,000 square meters and will be able to treat patients with pathologies that are difficult or impossible to solve with other methods, such as tumors located near critical areas of the body or pediatric tumors.