Halcyon, the third particle accelerator that allows cancers to be treated with radiotherapy, was inaugurated yesterday at the Ormeau Clinic.
Halcyon, this is the name of the third machine that will treat cancer patients in Hautes-Pyrénées with radiology.
This latest generation of particle accelerators will allow to better meet the needs because, as Dr. Guillaume Peraga, Director of the Pyrenees Radiotherapy and Oncology Group (GROP) points out, “the activity of oncology is increasing. The examination is developing. There are more and more cancers. It is better and better to treat and live People are getting taller and longer. There is an increasing need for treatment, including radiation. To improve patient care and treat them as quickly as possible, so we’re moving from two to three machines. With, plus better quality of treatment and fewer side effects.”
Outwardly, the particle accelerator looks like a scanner. A machine of this type costs 5 million euros for a period of 10 years. He treats between 50 and 60 patients daily. The x-ray session takes about 10 minutes. Guillaume Peraga assures that in Tarbes, we treat all types of cancer, except for those of children who receive care in referral centers, in Toulouse or Bordeaux.
“This device is quite versatile. It will allow us to perform the appropriate treatments for breast cancer patients, with obstruction of breath which will allow us to better protect vulnerable organs such as the heart. It will also reduce the risks of later toxicity. These are the techniques used in all major radiotherapy centers and which we have started created here, with more traditional machines… With three machines now on site, this will allow us to treat everyone more easily. We now have a more complete radiotherapy offer in Tarbes that will avoid sending patients to other sites “, explains radiotherapist Pierre Mary Pialat.
A new machine is fine, provided you have staff to operate it. And in this aspect, Guillaume Peyraga welcomes a dense and reinforced squad.
“It’s the standard of excellence.”
Dr. Bernard Couderc, founder of the Oncology Center of the Clinique de l’Ormeau in 1972, which he directed until 2012, expressed his emotion when he found himself in this room “where radiotherapy began 50 years ago in Bigorre…in this room , more than a thousand patients have been treated and I have, for my deceased colleagues, an affectionate thought and particularly strong memories … Today the GROP has been able to develop in the Pau-Tarbes-Lourdes triangle and, moreover, an exceptional offer of care in the radiotherapy of Bigordin, Bjarne And even Gascon patients. With a very high-tech technical platform: 6 particle accelerators, 3 in Tarbes and 3 in Pau, a team of men and women at the top pilot them. In short, it is the level of excellence … You prove that with a lot of goodwill and intelligence, “There is scope for large-scale projects in two regions, Occitania and Neuquitin, when we know how to cross borders. Congratulations on this success and thanks to all the affected cancer patients.”
