Northwell Health, ProCure in N.J. affiliate in cancer therapy

Northwell Health on Tuesday is set to announce a clinical affiliation with ProCure Proton Therapy Center, a New Jersey-based provider of proton beam therapy cancer treatments.

New Hyde Park-based Northwell said that its affiliation with ProCure will allow it to provide the treatment to its patients, who would travel to ProCure’s Somerset, New Jersey, facility for the care.

Northwell has designated two staff doctors who will meet patients at Somerset for care.

“With the addition of proton therapy, we now offer every major radiation therapy option currently available, allowing our physicians to personalize treatment for all our patients,” said Dr. Louis Potters, chair of radiation medicine at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute.

Northwell said proton therapy is a treatment option for a range of cancers, including brain tumors, as well as head and neck, breast, lung, prostate and pancreatic cancers.

After the protons travel through the patient to reach the tumor, they stop, so there is no exit dose, which occurs with some other radiation treatments. Protons limit the amount of radiation exposure healthy tissue and organs surrounding the tumor receive, thereby reducing the risk of side effects and improving a patient’s quality of life, the hospital said.

Other health systems are also targeting proton cancer care. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore Health System and Mount Sinai Health System are jointly developing the New York Proton Center in Manhattan. The East Harlem center will be the first proton beam therapy facility in the state.

That proton center is set to open in 2019. It will be managed by ProHealth Proton Management.

The ProCure agreement is the second out-of-state affiliation deal Northwell has reached this month.

Northwell and Western Connecticut Health Network last week signed an agreement to jointly explore developing new clinical programs and services as well as sharing analytics.

As part of the deal, Northwell Health will provide the Danbury, Connecticut-based health care system with workforce development opportunities via its corporate university.

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest private employer, with about 66,000 employees.