Jack Webb, 68, described his cancer treatment as a “radiation vacation.” Last year, he traveled to Johns Hopkins in Washington, D.C., to receive proton beam therapy, a cancer treatment that is known for its precision and few side effects. Carilion Clinic hopes to bring this cutting-edge treatment to Roanoke by December 2027.
On Tuesday, the health system announced two major milestones: it has reached its $100 million fundraising goal for a new cancer treatment center and launched another capital campaign to raise $50 million for a proton beam accelerator.
The capital campaign for the cancer treatment center launched in 2019, marking Carilion’s first fundraising endeavor, said Nancy Agee, president emerita of Carilion Clinic, who continues to support the project in an advisory capacity.
[Disclosure: Carilion is one of our donors, but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.]
Former U.S. Ambassador Nick Taubman and his wife, Jenny, have already contributed $17.5 million toward the proton beam initiative. The couple previously donated $25 million to the seven-story cancer treatment center, which will be named the Carilion Taubman Cancer Center in recognition of their contributions.
An anonymous donor has also pledged $2.5 million, Nick Taubman said during an interview, leaving $20 million to be raised to meet the campaign goal.
Carilion received approval from the state’s Certificate of Public Need Division in March. This planned proton beam accelerator will be the third in Virginia, with one located in Hampton and another in Falls Church, both more than 200 miles from Roanoke.
This therapy is relatively rare across the rest of the country. There are only 46 operational proton beam therapy centers in the United States, though over the next few years, that total will increase to 52 as more health systems plan to invest in the technology.
Proton therapy is a type of radiation treatment that uses positively charged particles to precisely target tumors. Because proton beams can be finely controlled, they minimize radiation exposure to surrounding tissue, said Dr. David Buck, medical director for the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Carilion Clinic Cancer Center.
“As this proton comes into a patient and gives off all of its energy in a very short distance and drops off to nothing, it can much more exquisitely spare normal tissues,” Buck said.
While proton therapy has the same efficacy rate as radiation treatment delivered by X-rays, it’s unique in producing far fewer side effects.
Webb and his wife took their fifth-wheel camper to the D.C. area in October 2024 during his treatments for prostate cancer. In the morning, he arrived at the hospital, where specialists positioned the machinery before targeting the tumor from both the right and left sides.
The process took about 30 minutes to complete. In the afternoons, the couple explored wineries in the area and went for walks. Webb completed 20 treatments, one each weekday, and on the weekends, they returned to Roanoke.
Having this option for cancer treatment in Roanoke amazes him. He has friends who are monitoring potential cancer cells who would benefit from having care closer to home.
“This is fantastic,” Webb said. “It’s very expensive; I never thought we’d be able to have it here … if you have [proton therapy] here, you can go to work after. Nobody will ever know you had it. There’s no pain. You’d never know it.”
Radiation physicists will be dedicated to the proton machine. Radiation dosimetrists, who are staff dedicated to calculations and planning the treatment, will be hired. Additional radiation therapists will be brought on as well.
Agee said that health care workers from across the country have already contacted Carilion to see when hiring will start.
“People want to work in modern buildings with modern technology,” Agee said.
Expanding access to advanced cancer care
Proton beam therapy was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1988 and first became available in California in 1990. For decades, only the most established cancer centers could afford them, Nick Taubman said.
The machines have become somewhat more affordable, but construction costs remain steep. State documents list the cost of building the facility to house Carilion’s proton beam accelerator at $20.5 million.
That expense is driven largely by safety requirements. The concrete walls, for example, must be several feet thick to prevent secondary radiation from escaping the treatment room, Nick Taubman said.
The cost of proton beam equipment is estimated at $25.4 million, with another $1 million budgeted for engineering and architectural design. Altogether, the project is expected to total $47 million.
Proton therapy is also more expensive for patients. Buck said there has been a nationwide challenge getting insurance companies to cover the treatment because it is less common and more costly than traditional radiation.
That poses particular concern in Southwest Virginia, where poverty rates are high. U.S. Census data shows 18.4% of Roanoke residents live in poverty, compared with the statewide average of 10.2%.
Agee said traditional radiation therapy will continue to be used for many patients. The health system also assists uninsured patients with enrolling in Medicaid or Medicare and offers financial support through its charity care program.
According to state documents, Carilion provided $4 billion worth of charity care in 2022. For all new services, the state health department requires that 0.6% of gross patient revenue be dedicated to charity care. Carilion is currently meeting this standard.
Proton therapy has been available in Virginia since 2005, and lawmakers are now considering legislation to require insurance coverage at the same rate as traditional radiation therapy, Buck said. This could make it more accessible to patients in Southwest and Southside Virginia.
For Webb, Medicare covered the full cost of his treatment. The hospital in D.C. used higher doses of radiation, allowing him to complete his therapy in half the usual number of sessions.
Pediatric care
Agee wanted the cancer treatment center to offer a holistic approach to treating disease — from nutrition to music therapy. For Nick and Jenny Taubman, they knew right away that proton beam therapy was a must-have treatment for the new building.
“Nancy calls it Jenny’s proton beam. We’ve been pushing for this ever since we started talking,” Jenny said, laughing across the table to Agee. “It attacks the smallest tumor you have in your body without touching the space around it.”
Nick would have had a better outcome with proton therapy for a nodule that was growing on his auditory nerve. When he received treatment, it affected hearing in his other ear as well. If they had had access to proton beam therapy, Jenny said, hearing in his other ear wouldn’t have been damaged.
They also knew that proton therapy is often recommended for children because it can more precisely target tumors while sparing surrounding healthy tissue. Any radiation to tissue that is still developing can have dramatic impacts, Buck said. Proton beam therapy reduces the risk of long-term side effects and secondary cancers that can result from traditional radiation therapy.
For example, many pediatric brain tumors require treatment across large or sensitive areas. Traditional high-energy X-rays can severely damage developing tissues. Proton therapy can minimize that harm.
It’s so precise that it can reach inoperable tumors in young children and infants.
“To be able to have that on hand for our local pediatric patients would be great,” Buck said.
Buck, who grew up in Radford and has practiced in Roanoke for 21 years, said the new cancer center and access to cutting-edge technology amaze him.
“To have this new cancer center being built and for them to arm it with really the most advanced tools in cancer treatment delivery is just really amazing for someone who grew up in this region,” Buck said.
In the two decades since he started working in Roanoke, Virginia’s health care market has expanded significantly. That growth continues to attract highly skilled providers to the region, he added.