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Health

Scripps Opens Region's First Proton Therapy Center In Mira Mesa

An artist's rendering of the Scripps Proton Therapy Center.
Scripps
An artist's rendering of the Scripps Proton Therapy Center.

Scripps has opened the region's first proton therapy center for cancer care.

The $220-million Scripps Proton Therapy Center in Mira Mesa uses streams of protons to kill cancer cells.

Scripps officials say proton therapy uses less radiation than standard therapies and minimizes collateral damage to adjacent tissue.

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But some experts say proton therapy has not proven to be more effective than standard cancer treatments, except in rare cases.

The center is expected to treat 2,400 patients a year. It will be managed by Scripps with an arrangement that doctors at UCSD and Rady’s Childrens' Hospital can also treat patients at the facility.

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