Transformative technology is the door to tomorrow we all get to walk through as donors, surgeons, nurses, patients and parents. It is the advancement in our clinical tools, therapies and trials that provides us the gift of more time — more than cancer told us we had. Building on the life-saving treatments housed at OSF, the state-of-the-art additions to the new OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute will save even more lives and propel OSF Healthcare into a distinguished tier of world-class medical leadership. The OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute will be among fewer than 40 institutes in the country to offer proton therapy and only the second in Illinois. With access to these important advancements in cancer treatment, we will enable patients to stay close to home with the love and support they need.
Proton therapy will complement our vast array of state-of-the-art cancer-fighting technologies, including Gamma Knife, cryoablation, microwave ablation and NanoKnife therapy. We will also lead our state as the first to offer FLASH radiation therapy, one of only a few health care organizations to do so in the entire country. FLASH therapy treats tumors in a fraction of the time traditional radiation does, in some instances delivering an entire cancer regimen in as little as one treatment.
This level of technology will align us with top research institutes. Through our partnership with the University of Illinois College of Engineering, our goal is to achieve National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, the gold standard for the nation’s top cancer centers.
With fewer than 40 proton therapy centers nationwide, we will provide life-saving treatment for the most hard-to-reach tumors. This noninvasive form of treatment is a safer and more effective alternative to traditional radiation therapy, where X-ray beams deposit their energy into surrounding tissues and vital organs, often causing unnecessary damage. With proton therapy, oncologists will be able to pinpoint precisely where they want to deposit the energy. This not only reduces the risk of collateral damage to surrounding healthy organs and tissue but also reduces the risk of cancer recurrence. Compared to standard radiation, proton therapy will cause fewer short- and long-term side effects, resulting in a better quality of life for our patients. By utilizing proton therapy at the OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, we will bring the latest life-changing technology close to home so our patients can be surrounded by the love, care and support they need — and deserve.
It all starts with data
The Data Science and Informatics Lab at OSF Innovation is focused on collecting data needed to understand health care disparities in our communities and identify vulnerable individuals in need of support. With this information, we can develop solutions that lead to timely screenings and services, surgical interventions, survivorship and quality of life
Using virtual reality to fight cancer
The Jump Simulation Advanced Imaging and Modeling (AIM) Lab has made a name for itself as it has gone from successfully printing 3D copies of pediatric hearts to turning digital images of anatomy into virtual and augmented realities. With the new OSF HealthCare Cancer Institute, Jump AIM will expand its abilities, developing digital images of tumors and creating ways to diagnose tumors in virtual reality.