 is proud to announce it will begin treating patients with proton beam therapy this week at the new Atrium Health Levine Cancer 

. The center, located on Atrium Health’s midtown Charlotte campus, is the first and only facility in the Carolinas to offer this innovative and lifesaving treatment for adult and pediatric patients with complex tumors.

“The Proton & Advanced Radiation Center is one of less than 50 facilities in the United States – and the first and only facility in the Carolinas – to offer this innovative and lifesaving treatment for adult and pediatric patients with complex tumors,” said Ken Haynes, president of Advocate Health – Southeast Region. “This is an exciting and monumental day for our cancer program, and we are extremely grateful for our world-class clinical staff and generous community supporters who made today possible.”

Proton beam therapy is a form of radiation therapy that delivers a beam of protons that damage a tumor’s DNA and destroy cancer cells. It is highly precise, targeted, and effective, and can lead to fewer side effects and less damage to surrounding healthy tissue than conventional radiation therapy. Proton beam therapy can be used to treat various types of cancers, especially those that are located near critical organs and structures, such as the brain, lung, eye, head, and neck. It can also reduce the risk of long-term complications and secondary malignancies for children and adolescents, who are more sensitive to radiation exposure.

“We are thrilled to bring this state-of-the-art technology to our patients and families, who will no longer have to travel out of state to receive this treatment,” said 

, president of Atrium Health Levine Cancer. “This is a testament to our commitment to providing the best care possible for our community, closer to home.”

The new center is part of a $69 million investment into the Charlotte region by Atrium Health, which also includes 

, another advanced form of radiation therapy for brain lesions. The center houses a 110-ton proton accelerator unit called the cyclotron, which is three stories tall and serves as the powerhouse for proton beam therapy. The unit was delivered and installed in 

, after a complex and meticulous process that involved transporting it across the country and lifting it by crane into the building.

As the hub for collaborative, world-class radiation care and clinical trials involving experts from Atrium Health Levine Cancer and Atrium Health 

patients who would benefit most from proton beam therapy

. “We are excited to offer proton beam-based clinical trials at this facility fueled by our National Cancer Institute-designated Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center,” says Mesa. “We’ll not only be treating patients with this revolutionary therapy, but we’ll also research ways to revolutionize what’s possible for patients.”

“We are proud to have a skilled and expert team of radiation oncologists who provide personalized and comprehensive care for our patients, using the most advanced and appropriate tools available,” said 

, chairman of the radiation oncology department at Atrium Health Levine Cancer. “With proton beam therapy, we are adding another cutting-edge option to our arsenal of treatments, and we are excited to join a select group of cancer centers in the country that can offer this innovative technology.”

 and other radiation therapy options at Atrium Health Levine Cancer.

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Atrium Health Levine Cancer has launched the first proton beam therapy center in the Carolinas, offering advanced treatment for complex tumors in adults and children. This state-of-the-art facility, part of a $69 million investment, includes a 110-ton cyclotron for precise radiation therapy, minimizing damage to healthy tissue and reducing long-term complications. The center will also conduct clinical trials in collaboration with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center. This development underscores Atrium Health's commitment to providing cutting-edge cancer care locally.

Atrium Health Levine Cancer will begin treating patients with proton beam therapy.

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Begins Treating Patients with Proton Beam Therapy

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute’s 

 has been granted accredited status by the 

National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC)

 The breast cancer program earned voluntary NAPBC accreditation for its compliance with the organization’s standards that focus on leadership, research, clinical services, education, community outreach and quality improvement.

Levine Cancer Institute (LCI) provides patients with the most current breast cancer-related information and education. Patients have access to clinical trials and new treatment options as well as genetic counseling. Long-term services include financial guidance, mental health support, survivorship care and rehabilitation services. Ongoing monitoring and lifelong follow-up care are designed to help keep patients thriving.

“The NAPBC only accredits programs that are committed to providing the best possible care to patients with diseases of the breast,” said Dr Richard White, leader of the breast surgical program at LCI. “Our program was rigorously reviewed and evaluated, in line with the NAPBC’s patient-centered standards, which gives our patients added confidence when choosing our personalized breast care.”

The NAPBC provides the structure and resources needed to develop and operate a high-quality breast center and accredited program. To receive accreditation, breast centers must have a site visit every three years. The NAPBC encourages hospitals, treatment centers and other facilities to improve the quality of breast care by focusing on:

As an NAPBC-accredited center, LCI is committed to maintaining high levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for patients with breast disease.

“Our breast care team includes health care professionals from a variety of disciplines who are committed to working together to provide the best treatment options available,” said White. “From start to finish, our collaborative team coordinates treatment for our patients with the greatest care, respect and efficiency. This team includes Levine Cancer Institute’s nurse navigation program, which provides patients with specialized and personalized support from oncology nurses.”

Levine Cancer Institute experts treat more than 1,800 patients with breast cancer each year, which is more than any other center in the region. This deep experience in breast cancer care is available at more than 30 locations within Atrium Health.

 is a nationally recognized leader in shaping health outcomes through innovative research, education and compassionate patient care. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Atrium Health is an integrated, nonprofit health system with more than 70,000 teammates serving patients at 40 hospitals and more than 1,400 care locations. It provides care under the 

 name in the Winston-Salem, North Carolina, region, as well as 

 and Atrium Health Floyd in Georgia and Alabama. Atrium Health is renowned for its top-ranked pediatric, cancer and heart care, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. A recognized leader in experiential medical education and groundbreaking research, 

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

 is the academic core of the enterprise, including 

, which is advancing new medical technologies and biomedical discoveries. Atrium Health is also a leading-edge innovator in virtual care and mobile medicine, providing care close to home and in the home. Ranked nationally among U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hospitals in eight pediatric specialties and for rehabilitation, Atrium Health has also received the American Hospital Association’s Quest for Quality Prize and its 2021 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, as well as the 2020 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Health Equity Award for its efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care. With a commitment to every community it serves, Atrium Health seeks to improve health, elevate hope and advance healing – for all, providing $2.46 billion last year in free and uncompensated care and other community benefits.

About the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers


The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) represents a consortium of national, professional organizations dedicated to the quality of care of patients with diseases of the breast. Its board membership includes professionals from more than 20 national organizations that represent the full spectrum of breast care. For more information, visit 

https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/napbc

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute’s breast cancer program has been granted accredited status by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, a quality program administered by the American College of Surgeons. 

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute’s Breast Program Earns NAPBC Accreditation

Cancer treatment has become much more sophisticated and individualized in recent years. Since each person’s cancer has its own genetic signature, one person’s lung or breast tumor, for example, may grow at a different rate or respond better to certain treatments compared to someone else’s lung or breast tumor.

At the heart of those differences is the genetic makeup of the cancer and learning what is driving the growth of that cancer – a certain mutation – can be determined through genomic testing, also known as molecular profiling. With that information, doctors may be able to match a personalized treatment that is targeted to the patient’s cancer and likely to provide the best prognosis. There are currently more than 50 FDA-approved targeted therapies available, and many more are in clinical trials.

“Genetic testing is important in two ways,” said Carol Farhangfar, Ph.D., assistant vice president of Translational Research at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute (LCI). “If we find a mutation that matches a targeted drug or trial available, the tumors are more likely to respond to a targeted therapy than to generalized chemotherapy. If we don’t find a mutation, it’s equally important because it means that we will know what drugs will not work well, saving the patient from potential side effects and an additional financial burden since targeted drugs are expensive.”

If a patient and their oncologist decide that genomic testing is appropriate, a biopsy is taken of the tumor and is sent to a lab to reveal the genetic make-up of the cancer cells. Today, with next-generation sequencing, thousands of genes within the tumor are evaluated, looking for specific targets. Testing also can be performed using a blood sample. The results provide a roadmap that can enable doctors to prescribe a personalized treatment based on the cancer’s DNA.

Targeted therapy with new cancer treatments can take different forms, including shutting off a protein that is driving the cancer growth or interrupting a specific signalizing pathway within the cell. It is revolutionary compared to standard chemotherapy that was not specific to a particular target on the cancer cell.

Expanding Availability of Genomic Testing

It often takes time for advances in personalized medicine to be adopted and become available to all the people who could benefit from them, so leaders at LCI wanted to close that gap. They implemented a clinical genomics program to standardize and centralize all of the functions required to obtain and use genomic testing for cancer patients at all LCI locations, urban and rural, throughout the health care enterprise.

Initially, in 2010 - 2014, genomic testing was primarily performed by a select group of physicians early in their careers at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center but, after the innovative program to expand its use was implemented in 2015, genomic testing increased 11-fold and the number of physicians offering testing to determine treatment for their cancer patients increased 10-fold.

Today, more than 8,000 patients have had genomic testing at Levine Cancer Institute. It is offered by physicians at all experience levels – even those with more than 30 years in practice – throughout all 30 LCI locations. Those physicians are supported by specialists who are part of LCI’s molecular tumor board, including oncologists, genetic counselors, pathologists and pharmacists, and also by technology that matches patients to clinical trials of therapies suitable for their specific cancer characteristics.

While large, academic cancer centers offer widespread genetic testing, that is not usually the case with community health systems.

“What is unique is how we implemented it,” Farhangfar said. “We wanted to make sure that, regardless of where our patients were, they would have access to the testing and we would also provide support for the physicians to make it easy to navigate the system to get it done.”

Another key priority was to work with testing labs to make the cost of the testing more affordable to patients.

“I do believe that other health systems could emulate this,” she added.

Clinical trials offer opportunities for patients who may not have other treatment options.

When a mutation found through genetic testing does not have an FDA-approved targeted therapy, it’s possible that a clinical trial of a new therapy may hold promise.

Significantly, 15% of LCI patients who had genomic testing from 2015-2020 were matched to a clinical trial and, among those whose results were reviewed by the molecular tumor board, the clinical trial accrual was 28%.

Broadening availability of new cancer treatments

Nationally, a smaller percentage of Black and Hispanic patients were offered genetic testing. However, once LCI’s new system was put in place, minority representation for those tested within the health system was similar to its patient population as a whole.

“It’s important to have broad representation in clinical trials from patients throughout our communities and provide them with equal access to the most innovative testing,” said Farhangfar. “There are some molecular differences among people from different backgrounds due to their genetic makeup. The more we learn, the better we will become at developing personalized therapies that provide the best chance of cure for our patients.”

LCI’s Molecular Tumor Board has increased the ability to make novel targeted treatments accessible to underserved populations, which is directly in line with LCI’s mission and vision of building a cancer center without walls, providing the highest level of care to all patients, regardless of where they live.

Results of Levine Cancer Institute’s program to increase genomic testing were published July 15, 2022 in the 

Journal of Clinical Oncology’s Clinical Cancer Informatics.

Evaluating tumor’s genomic profile enables patients to receive more targeted and customized treatment, as well as increased eligibility for clinical trials.  

Atrium Health

Articles

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Begins Treating Patients with Proton Beam Therapy

Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute’s Breast Program Earns NAPBC Accreditation

Clinical Genomic Testing Program Expands Personalized Treatment for Cancer Patients