Lung cancer patient completes treatment cycle at N.J. PT Center

Marina Bonaparte recently celebrated the completion of her lung cancer treatment cycle, surrounded by her ProCure healthcare team. Bonaparte, a Manhattan-based dentist with a thriving practice, commuted every weekday morning for 33 treatments and two consultations, returning to her practice in Queens each afternoon to see her own dental patients.

When she was diagnosed with stage three lung cancer, her brother, a practicing nephrologist, researched all possible treatment options. He decided that proton therapy was the best treatment route for his sister because of the treatment’s precision as opposed to traditional radiation. Since Bonaparte’s cancer is in her lung, her brother worried that traditional radiation might cause collateral damage to delicate surrounding tissue, particularly to her heart.

Bonaparte trusted her brother’s research implicitly and began treatment with ProCure shortly after the center opened in March. According to Bonaparte, the care factor at ProCure was what kept her motivated throughout her treatment cycle here and subsequent chemotherapy at Cornell.

“I was so impressed by my doctor, Dr. Chon,” Dr. Bonaparte said. “I initially looked into proton therapy at another proton center, but they were unable to develop a protocol to treat my specific form of cancer. Dr. Chon reached out to colleagues at surrounding proton therapy centers to ensure that he was treating me with the proper protocol.”

“My brother and I are both medical professionals and were impressed by the extra steps Dr. Chon took in the direction of my treatment. He gained our confidence with his diligence – it meant a lot that he took the time to research my treatment so extensively,” Bonaparte added.

The other members of the care team – patient services representatives, technicians and nurses all played a large role in Bonaparte’s day-to-day well being, she noted, adding that their positive presence at her treatments made the daily trips worthwhile.

Sources :

http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20121017006054/en/Proton-therapy/ProCure-Proton-Therapy-Center/lung-cancer

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/manhattan-based-patient-completes-treatment-140000210.html

http://www.i4u.com/2012/10/cancer/nj-patient-manhattan-based-cancer-therapy-cycle-completes-treatment-proton-cent