UAMS Opens New $65M Radiation Oncology Center

(UAMS)

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute opened its new Radiation Oncology Center Wednesday.

The $65 million, 58,000-SF building in Little Rock will include proton therapy for cancer patients and was built to accommodate three new linear accelerators that “customize radiation delivery based on the type and stage of a patient’s cancer,” UAMS said in a news release.

It’s also the first cancer center in Arkansas to offer “Ethos Adaptive Therapy,” a form of x-ray radiation that adapts to the daily changes of a tumor’s shape and position during treatment.

“The opening of this facility marks an unprecedented commitment to the future of cancer treatment in Arkansas and the region,” UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson said in a statement. “The innovative therapies and advanced technologies available here place UAMS among the top centers worldwide at the forefront of cancer treatment.”

“This is the most sophisticated, cutting-edge radiation delivery technology available in the U.S.,” Dr. Fen Xia, UAMS Radiation Oncology Center director, said. “Each machine is specialized and designed to treat specific types of cancer in the body.”

The three-story building features cutting-edge treatment technology, including the first Philips Spectral Computed Tomography scanner in the U.S. The scanner provides great visibility of tumors, reducing the number of CT scans a patient undergoes.

On the second floor, the 9,000-SF Proton Center of Arkansas, will open in October. A collaboration between UAMS, Baptist Health, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Proton International, it will offer radiation treatment that uses proton particles that can be precisely targeted to destroy tumors that are difficult to treat.