New proton therapy cancer treatment center opens in Hampton, VA

When Ronald Cosman was diagnosed with cancer last October, he didn’t realize he’d be making history by the next year.

The 64-year-old retiree is the first patient to be treated at the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, a $225 million project that celebrates its opening today with a ceremony to be attended by the governor and other dignitaries.

The red-brick institute is the eighth proton therapy center in the country, and the largest free-standing one in the world.  As such, it’s expected to draw patients from across the globe.  There’s already a waiting list of 90 patients and a list of inquiries from as far away as Scotland, the Middle East, and Britain.

But first came Cosman, 64, who travels all of 10 minutes from his Hampton home for proton therapy to zap a prostate cancer tumor.

Proton therapy is a noninvasive cancer treatment that uses high-speed, intense beams to release radiation directly into tumors to kill them without damaging surrounding tissue.  Proponents say the method is more precise than conventional radiation treatments and has fewer side effects than surgery or chemotherapy.

Critics, though, have questioned whether the high dollar treatment is as cost effective as competing technology.  Because so few centers exist, large, long-term studies comparing this type of treatment to others in terms of effectiveness and side effects aren’t yet available.

Some health policy experts have questioned whether the use of health care dollars toward such expensive facilities is more of a technology race than placing dollars where they are most needed.

Insurance companies, however, are stepping up to the plate to cover the cost for patients.  Medicare, Medicaid, and many private insurers are covering proton therapy treatments.