State-of-the-art Cancer Center aand Proton Beam Therapy Facility
Cancer Center to offer world class technology, expertise and research to Phoenix residents
By Julie Janovsky-Mason Mayo Clinic
Phoenix residents won’t have to go far to receive world class cancer care.
Mayo Clinic is putting the finishing touches on its new Cancer Center and proton beam therapy facility located at 5777 East Mayo Blvd. in Phoenix. “Patients will soon have the convenience of seeing all their Mayo Clinic cancer specialists under one roof at our state-of-the-art center,” says Ruben Mesa, M.D., Deputy Director, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, of the facility that will feature Arizona’s first proton beam therapy program.
Mayo Clinic began construction on its latest addition to its Phoenix campus in December of 2011. The elite center, located east of Mayo Clinic Hospital, is expected to take cancer treatment to the next level by offering advanced technology, along with the hallmark research, clinical trials and expertise Mayo Clinic is known for.
The proton beam therapy facility will reside on the lower level of the building, featuring four state-of-the-art treatment rooms in addition to patient exam rooms, offices and public areas.
Above the concourse level will be an additional three floors dedicated to Mayo Clinic’s full spectrum of cancer specialty areas. The building will also feature a Breast Clinic, infusion area, pharmacy, cafeteria, patient education library in addition to an outpatient surgery area, GI endoscopy suite and Pain Clinic.
Designing Around the Needs of the Patient
Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation designed the facility with patients’ needs in mind.
Center for Innovation designers interviewed and surveyed patients about their oncology experiences and accompanied them on their oncology care visits.
Those patient encounters resulted in a number of design features including:
• A check in process that will follow an airport model. Check-in options include using a kiosk or approaching a staffed check-in desk.. Eventually, patients will be able to check in at home with digital devices.
• Deluxe waiting areas that will offer quiet work areas with outlets to charge computers and phones, and other areas with seating conducive to conversations with family and friends. Patient education kiosks will also be embedded throughout the medical area lobbies.
• And an infusion center that will include private areas for work and sleep, communal areas with opportunities for socialization and activities, and space for loved ones to work and make phone calls.
Proton Beam Therapy Comes to Arizona
The addition of the proton beam therapy program further expands Mayo Clinic Cancer Center’s collaborative approach to patient care. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated comprehensive cancer center with a multi-site national presence.
“Mayo Clinic’s proton beam therapy program will be the first of its kind in the Southwest and will be equipped with pencil beam scanning, allowing for unparalleled precision,” says Sameer Keole, M.D., Mayo Clinic’s Proton Beam Medical Director.
Proton beam therapy is a highly targeted and precise way of administering radiation therapy. It delivers higher doses of radiation to malignant and benign tumors, while simultaneously minimizing the dose and damage to surrounding healthy tissue and organs.
For children and those with cancer in critical locations such as the spine, brain and kidneys, long-term side effects typically associated with traditional radiation therapy will be greatly reduced, or in some cases eliminated, says Dr. Keole on the many benefits patients will experience with this precise technology.
The new building is expected to open in phases beginning next year. The proton beam program will open its doors to patients by spring of 2016.
For more information on Mayo Clinic’s Cancer Center, please visit: http://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/mayo-clinic-cancer-center.
For more information on Mayo Clinic’s proton beam therapy program, please visit: www.mayoclinic.org/proton-beam-therapy/.
Patients can expect:
• The most advanced proton beam therapy facility in the U.S. and the first proton beam therapy program of its kind in Arizona
• A multidisciplinary breast center featuring medical oncology, surgeons, diagnostic mammography and more
• 50-bay infusion center
• Physical medicine and rehabilitation
• Integrative medicine and nutrition programs
• Cancer education and research center
• Clinical trials information office
• Caregiver lounge • On-site cafeteria and pharmacy
