Work has begun on site to create of one of the first proton beam therapy cancer treatment centres to be built in England.
The centre, situated at the Earth Balance ‘wellness site’ in Bomarsund, Northumberland, will be the second to be built by Proton Partners International in the UK, and is expected to be operational by February 2018. At the start of 2016, construction began at Proton Partners’ first cancer centre in Newport, Wales. The location of the third centre – planned for London – is still to be announced. Each will be able to treat up to 500 patients every year and, alongside proton beam therapy,
will offer imaging, chemotherapy, traditional radiotherapy, and ‘wellbeing’.
Professor Karol Sikora, chief medical officer of Proton Partners International, said: “There is a pressing need to bring this type of treatment to the UK, as studies have shown that at least 10% of patients who receive traditional radiotherapy would be treated more effectively with protons. By offering a variety of cancer therapies, our centres will deliver a fully comprehensive level of cancer care, tailored to fit the different needs of each patient – something not available in the UK at the moment.”
