Later this month, Penn Radiation Oncology will host the Fifth Annual Course on Proton Therapy at the Jordan Medical Education Center.
The course, Charting New Frontiers in Proton Therapy: The Penn Experience, is designed to provide a rich educational resource for radiation oncologists, physicists, dosimetrists, therapists and administrators who are interested in developing proton centers. Over 120 attendees, representing 18 countries, will attend.
Leaders in Radiation Oncology and Proton Therapy Research
Penn Radiation Oncology is home to the most integrated proton center in the world – the Roberts Proton Therapy Center.
Penn radiation oncologists choose proton therapy as an option for many patients due to its precision in treating the targeted lesion(s). Proton therapy is often used to treat cancers of the breast, liver, prostate, head and neck.
Since the Roberts Proton Therapy Center opened in 2013, radiation oncologists and scientists in the Department of Radiation Oncology have published dozens of peer-reviewed articles, and have led numerous clinical trials.
Alexander Lin, MD, (Chief, Head and Neck Service, and Medical Director, Roberts Proton Therapy Center), recently compared quality of life issues after patients received either proton or standard radiotherapy for oropharyngeal cancer. Dr. Lin will speak at the Proton conference, reviewing the clinical program at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center and providing details on the clinical applications of proton therapy.
Event Agenda
Sessions will involve:
- Current clinical indications and applications for proton therapy
- Positioning the patient
- Immobilization
- Treatment planning individual presentations on thoracic, head and neck, central nervous system and gastrointestinal cancers
- How to build an engaged proton patient community
The conference covers many topics, from the initial technical considerations for planning a proton therapy center to the detailed logistics of establishing a center that has both clinical and research capabilities.
“We’re excited to host this event for the fifth year, here at Penn,” said James Metz, MD (Department Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology). “Particularly because this year, in addition to our focus on clinical practice and innovation, we’ll be highlighting our patient engagement and patient experience strategies.”
Featured speakers from Penn Radiation Oncology include: James Metz, MD (Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology) as well as Alexander Lin, MD, Michelle Alonso-Basanta, MD, and Abigail Berman, MD, among many others leading experts in the field.
Exemplifying this effort on Saturday, November 16, Arianne Missimer, DPT, a physical therapist and survivor of stage 3 liposarcoma, will speak to attendees about her experience as a proton therapy patient, and how she trained for American Ninja Warrior while receiving treatment.
Charting New Frontiers in Proton Therapy: The Penn Experience
November 16 to 18, 2018
Jordan Medical Educational Center
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Additional Proton Therapy Resources from Penn Medicine