Warrenville, Ill. - The concrete for all four treatment rooms has been poured at the new proton therapy center in Warrenville, Ill., a joint endeavor by Central DuPage Hospital (CDH), Radiation Oncology Consultants and ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. (ProCure). The 60,000 sq. ft. center will be one of only a handful of centers in the nation to offer proton therapy, an advanced form of radiation treatment for cancer.

"Despite the inclement weather and economic conditions, we are locked in on full financing for the Center and remain on schedule to begin treating patients by early 2011," said John Henderson, chief operating officer of ProCure. "With a third of the concrete in place, we anticipate completing the pour of 13,000 total yards of concrete before the middle of June - contingent on the weather, of course."

Construction began in December 2008. The estimated timeline for completion of the center is 26-28 months, following the world-record pace of the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City, which is opening this summer.

"We are thrilled with the progress and extend our appreciation to the crew who has worked to keep this proton therapy center on schedule. The opening of this center will literally change the lives of thousands of patients and their families in and around Illinois," said Jim Spear, executive vice president and chief financial officer of CDH. "We are anxious to start treating those patients as soon as possible."

The development of the treatment center is creating about 400 temporary positions for construction and start-up operations and 100 full-time professional jobs when the center opens. Illinois-based contractors are constructing the facility.

There are currently five proton therapy centers operating in the United States treating multiple tumor sites, providing about 6,000 treatment slots per year. Another two centers are scheduled to open in 2009, including the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City. ProCure also has centers under development in Michigan and Florida.

Experts conservatively estimate that every year, more than 10,000 Illinois cancer patients - and 250,000 nationwide - could benefit from proton therapy. Studies have shown proton therapy to be effective in treating brain, head and neck, pediatric and prostate tumors as well as cancers that cannot be removed completely by surgery. Research is showing promising results in the treatment of other tumors. Proton therapy can be particularly effective in treating children, who are more sensitive to the effects of radiation than adults.

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