Scaled back Proton Therapy center to begin construction in 2019 after delays

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Baton Rouge proton cancer therapy center scaled back, delayed

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Plans for an $85 million proton therapy cancer center in the Baton Rouge Health District have been scaled back significantly, with the developer cutting the treatment capacity in half in an effort to make the center more financially viable.

The proton center was announced last spring by Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration in a unique deal that offered up traditional economic development tax incentives to a cutting-edge, and controversial, medical treatment.

Also last spring, the Edwards administration announced another $100 million proton therapy center planned for New Orleans, a partnership between Provision Healthcare, University Medical Center and the LSU Health Sciences Center. Those talks fell apart, and Louisiana Economic Development said the company discontinued its discussions for the facility. The firm said it is looking for another clinical partner and site.

The Baton Rouge center was initially set to open in late 2019 but now won’t begin construction until then, said Steve Hicks, chief executive officer of Provident Resources Group, the Baton Rouge nonprofit developing the center. The new plans also call for one treatment room, instead of two, which would mean a $45 million to $50 million investment, he said.

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Baton Rouge General was listed as one of the partners of the facility when the Edwards administration announced the plans last May. Less than a month later, Baton Rouge General pulled out of the deal, questioning the therapy’s clinical outcomes.

“While there is some promise in treating a limited number of childhood cancers with protons, controlled clinical trials have not demonstrated superior outcomes for the vast majority of cancers in adults,” compared with radiation therapy, Baton Rouge General CEO Edgardo Tenreiro said at the time.

Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson conceded it is rare for the state agency to become involved in medical deals like the proton centers announced last year. The agency offered up $16 million in incentives over a 10-year period in exchange for 150 jobs at the two centers.

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Maybe worth the effort considering the cancer rates in southern Louisiana and the desire to beef up the medical service offerings in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

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He added that Louisiana Economic Development will revisit the Baton Rouge proton center to determine what incentives will be offered and said no state dollars were at risk because the incentives are performance-based. The developers of the New Orleans facility “discontinued discussions” with the state agency about their planned proton center in the New Orleans medical corridor.

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Proton therapy uses a particle accelerator to target cancer cells with ionized radiation to kill or damage the cells enough to prevent their reproduction. It uses something called a Isochronous cyclotron to accomplish this.