Equipment breakdown causes delays in cancer treatment

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — When you are battling cancer, treatments are vital, for some Oklahomans, theirs are now delayed.

This is due to a breakdown involving a vital piece of equipment.

The patient says the news came as a surprise, and he was not given another option of proton therapy.

However, the Proton Center says they alerted their patients and gave them other options.

"This is a really, really complex medical device," David Raubach, Chief Development Officer at the Oklahoma Proton Center, said. "And from time to time, there's a part that we have to go in and replace them. Right now, there's a part, specifically a transformer, that we're needing to go in and replace."

This is a cause for concern for cancer patients like Bruce Jorgensen.

"They emphasize that it was necessary for me and all our patients to have at least five treatments a week, three treatments at minimum," Jorgensen said.

Since the break down in later October, that hasn't been possible.

"And what comes along with having a system as complex as a proton therapy system is that we can't go down to the local hardware store and get that part," Raubach said. "The specific transformer is actually being made by a company in Europe."

While rare, Raubach says this happens at every proton center in the country.

"That applies to all 45 proton centers in the country," Raubach said. "Every one of those proton centers from time to time has to take the equipment down and make repairs."

Jorgensen says he can't help but feel worried.

"When I spoke with the medical folks, they claimed that they didn't know what, if any, adverse consequences there would be," Jorgensen said.

He also says he was not given any options about treatment.

"The proton therapy center said just to go home, and wait for us to call," Jorgensen said.

However, Dr. john Chang, Medical Director of the Oklahoma Proton Center says that wasn't the case.

"What we do for every individual patient is we look at their cancer, we look at the parameters of their cancer, we look at their own anatomy, and then we figure out in the radio biologic sense what we need to do to adjust their treatment," Dr. Chang said.

"We have three other locations here in town where we provide state of the art X-ray or proton radiation," Raubach said.

One of those options is the OU Stephenson Cancer Center, but Jorgensen says there were issues.

"OU has very limited facilities in the sense that they have only one proton beam as opposed to this private centers four beams," Jorgensen said. "In my case, OU doesn't treat prostate because it's not one of the the major cancers and this center does."

All he is asking for is better planning, in case this happen again.

"I don't mind dying because I've had my life in the sun, but they should have done for the other people what they would have done for their own family, and they didn't and they won't," Jorgensen said.

The Proton Center says they are expected to get the part they need sometime next week, and plan to be operational again no later than the week after.