A collaboration between two of the state's largest healthcare providers will bring an advanced form of cancer radiation therapy to patients at the Connecticut Proton Center in December 2026.
At the recent Oct. 24 groundbreaking Hartford HealthCare President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey A. Flaks called the Proton Center project "an historic moment" for cancer care in Connecticut.
Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) and Hartford HealthCare (HHC) announced in April 2022 that final state approval had been granted to introduce proton beam therapy. The Wallingford facility will join only a handful of others in the Northeast.
“Yale New Haven Health is proud and excited to bring this highly innovative technology to patients in Connecticut and beyond,” Christopher O’Connor, CEO of Yale New Haven Health said when the state granted its approval of the plan. “Our unprecedented collaboration with HHC will allow us to care for patients with cancer in a new and effective way by bringing a life-changing therapy to our state. We are grateful that the state recognized the value of this technology to residents of Connecticut and the importance of this unique collaboration.”
The new Connecticut Proton Therapy Center will use highly targeted radiological proton therapy rather than X-rays to treat cancer and will be the only available facility in Connecticut when it opens in two years. This 25,000-square-foot Wallingford center will be one of a handful of such facilities in New England. There are about 45 proton centers in the US.
Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy that uses a high energy beam of protons to irradiate cancer. The chief advantage of proton therapy over other types of radiotherapy is that the dose is more finely controlled. With proton beam, there is less entry, exit, and scattered radiation so that physicians can safely deliver higher doses of radiation to tumors with fewer side effects.
Proton therapy is appropriate for many solid cancer tumors, including tumors of the brain and central nervous system, eye, gastrointestinal tract, head and neck, liver, lung, prostate, spine and breast. It is particularly beneficial for children, as they are more vulnerable to damage to healthy tissue from radiation.
“We look forward to bringing proton beam therapy to patients diagnosed with cancer in Connecticut who may benefit from this advanced form of treatment. Access to this treatment, close to home, will be transformational for many patients,” Peter M. Glazer, MD, PhD, Robert E. Hunter Professor and Chair of Therapeutic Radiology, has said.
Hartford Health Care and Yale New Haven Health are joined in their collaboration by Proton International, which is the project manager and operator. It has assisted with technology, financing and construction and it will continue as project manager and then operator of the facility.
“Proton International is dedicated to creating access for patients to this important technology,” Chris Chandler, CEO of Proton International said in 2022. “Our ability to work with Yale New Haven Health and Hartford HealthCare assures the citizens of Connecticut will have access to a very high-quality cancer treatment program closer to home.”
The center is expected to include the latest technology and equipment; treatment room; control room; exam rooms and clinical space. Employees will include physicians and clinical staff from YNHHS and HHC, as well as additional new staff.