In the face of skin cancer, proton therapy made all the difference
Following an unexpected diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, a Lancaster man underwent proton therapy at Penn Medicine.
Cancer was the last thing Chuck Hurley suspected when in 2018, he developed an ear infection that lingered for several weeks. The 41-year-old father of two turned to an ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT) who noticed a small bump inside Hurley's ear canal. A biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer. Hurley was referred to a specialist at Penn Medicine’s Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine in Philadelphia.
“In less than three weeks, we had a plan for surgery to remove my left ear canal and the areas in my head and neck where the cancer spread,” recalled Hurley. “Six weeks after surgery, it was time to talk treatment.”
Treatment with proton therapy
Because the cancer was around his salivary glands, ocular nerve, brain, and spine, Hurley's doctor recommended proton therapy—a highly targeted kind of radiation therapy—along with chemotherapy. Proton therapy uses a proton beam to attack only the cancer and not the healthy tissue surrounding it, and can cause fewer side effects than traditional radiation therapy that uses photon energy (X-rays).
In 2018, the closest location where Hurley could receive this groundbreaking treatment was at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia.
“For the next seven weeks our lives centered around traveling to Philadelphia five days a week for my treatment,” said Hurley. “Most days I spent about four hours in the car to receive a 15-minute proton treatment.”
A cure… and gratitude
“Penn Medicine cured my cancer and I’m living a wonderful, healthy life, appreciating every day I have with my family,” said Hurley, who remembered reading the announcement about Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health opening a proton therapy center at the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute near his Lancaster, PA home.
“I’m so happy for all the families who will benefit from having proton therapy close to their home. Besides getting life-saving treatment, they will receive the gift of time, sparing them trips outside of the area,” said Hurley.