Best Treatment Protocol to Reduce Damage to Surrounding Heart Tissue
<0> Manhattan-Based Patient Completes Treatment Cycle for Lung Cancer at N.J. Proton Therapy Center </0>
BlissHealthMelanie Sollid-Penton, 646-386-2923
Marina Bonaparte, D.D.S. recently celebrated the completion of her lung cancer treatment cycle, surrounded by her ProCure healthcare team. Bonaparte, a Manhattan-based dentist with a thriving practice, commuted every weekday morning for 33 treatments and two consultations, returning to her practice in Queens each afternoon to see her own dental patients.
When she was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer, her brother, a practicing nephrologist, researched all possible treatment options. He decided that proton therapy was the best treatment route for his sister because of the treatment’s precision as opposed to traditional radiation. Since Bonaparte’s cancer is in her lung, her brother worried that traditional radiation might cause collateral damage to delicate surrounding tissue, particularly to her heart.
Bonaparte trusted her brother’s research implicitly and began treatment with ProCure shortly after the center opened in March. According to Bonaparte, the care factor at ProCure was what kept her motivated throughout her treatment cycle here and subsequent chemotherapy at Cornell.
“I was so impressed by Dr. Chon,” Dr. Bonaparte said. “I initially looked into proton therapy at another proton center, but they were unable to develop a protocol to treat my specific form of cancer. Dr. Chon reached out to colleagues at surrounding proton therapy centers to ensure that he was treating me with the proper protocol.”
“My brother and I are both medical professionals and were impressed by the extra steps Dr. Chon took in the direction of my treatment. He gained our confidence with his diligence – it meant a lot that he took the time to research my treatment so extensively,” Bonaparte added.
The other members of the care team – patient services representatives, technicians and nurses all played a large role in Bonaparte’s day-to-day well being, she noted, adding that their positive presence at her treatments made the daily trips worthwhile.
“It was a pleasure to treat Dr. Bonaparte and to have the privilege of interacting with her each day,” said Dr. Brian Chon, medical director of the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in New Jersey and Bonaparte’s treating radiation oncologist. “She took charge of her own care and we are fortunate to have been able to chart a decisive plan of action for her treatment. We will follow up Dr. Bonaparte’s treatment with a PET scan in December, and have high hopes for a successful outcome.”
Bonaparte could have scheduled her follow up appointments closer to home, but opted return to ProCure to have her post-treatment appointments with Dr. Chon.
For more information about proton therapy at ProCure Proton Therapy, visit or call 732-204-7398.
About ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc.
ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. is a privately held health care company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with cancer by increasing access to proton therapy. The company was founded in 2005 in Bloomington, Ind., and is the first to develop a network of proton therapy centers in cities across the United States. The ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City opened in July 2009, the CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center, located in Warrenville, Ill., opened in October 2010 and the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset, N.J., opened in March 2012. ProCure’s fourth center is under construction in Seattle, Wash. (opening 2013) and others are in development. ProCure provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, financing, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of proton therapy centers. ProCure’s solution reduces the time, cost and effort necessary to build and operate a facility. ProCure is advancing proton therapy through innovation and improvements in technology, and by providing training at the world’s only educational facility specializing in proton therapy. For more information, visit .