New Cancer-Fighting Machine Arrives In Irving
IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - A 220-ton innovative cancer-fighting machine has finally made it to North Texas after its trip halfway across the globe.
The cyclotron, which has also been nicknamed "220 tons of hope," is an advanced and more precise form of radiation treatment that uses a beam of a proton to damage the DNA of cancer cells.
It's especially useful to treat cancers that require extreme precision such as tumors in the brain, eye and spine. The technology minimizes side effects and damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
The technology took a month to arrive from Belgium and will mark a milestone in the construction of DFW's first proton therapy center.
When it opens in 2016, the Texas Center for Proton Therapy in Irving will be the only place in North Texas to offer proton therapy. Until then, the closest place to receive proton therapy treatment is about 200 miles away in Oklahoma City.
The cyclotron, which is three stories tall, arrived and will be moved into the Texas Center for Proton Therapy in Irving on Wednesday. After it's installed, the public will be allowed to get a look inside the center and take pictures of the cyclotron.
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