A 110-ton weapon is revolutionizing the fight to be cancer-free. Its first two patients here in Charlotte are hoping the specialized treatment will end with them both ringing the bell.
Hunter Pearson is the treatment’s first adult patient and the second to get it through Atrium Health.
“Pretty big day,” he told Channel 9′s Almiya White.
Pearson spent years fighting fires. But now he’s preparing to receive a rare treatment that will help him fight cancer.
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“I have primitive neuroectodermal tumors, [which] fall under the umbrella of an Ewing sarcoma,” he said. “I was diagnosed back in May of this year.”
Now, Pearson is one of the first patients to receive proton beam therapy at Atrium Health Levine Cancer Center. The 110-ton proton beam is a rare radiation therapy used to treat several types of cancers, especially those near critical organs.
Less than 50 cancer centers offer proton beam therapy nationwide. This is the only one in the Carolinas.
“Up until now, for patients to be able to receive the benefits of proton therapy, they had to travel to great distances,” said Dr. Ruben Mesa, president of Atrium Health Levine Cancer.
Dr. Mesa said one benefit of this treatment is how precise it is.
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“You’re able to concentrate more of the cancer-killing power right at the area of the cancer, and then spare the rest of the body any alpha negative effects from radiation,” he said.
It can also reduce the risk of long-term complications for children who are more sensitive to radiation exposure, like 6-year-old Dakota Shuford who is the very first patient to receive the lifesaving treatment.
“He has alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, and it is rare in kids’ age, but it affects soft tissues,” said Dakota’s mom, Elizabeth Shuford.
“He’s gotten the other type of radiation twice that affects the larger area,” she said. “So for this one to actually be able to pinpoint the specific area that they want to touch, it’s pretty awesome.”
Hunter Pearson, who sees Dakota as an inspiration, is hoping they both one day get to ring the bell, signaling a cancer-free scan.
“He’s absolutely an inspiration too, as young as he is, and strong as he is,” Pearson said.
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