Construction is underway on a radiopharmaceutical centre and cyclotron in Calgary to help patients in southern Alberta receive timely access to treatments.
Cyclotrons produce radioactive material that is used in the medical field for everything from diagnostic imaging to cancer treatments.
“We have to do it every day, or even two or three times a day for each clinic,” Jan Andersson, the director of the Edmonton Radiopharmaceuticals Centre, told Global News during a tour of the facility.
There are currently two AHS cyclotrons in Edmonton that produce radiopharmaceuticals for medical use across the province. One is located at the University of Alberta’s South Campus, the other is at the Cross Cancer Institute.
The issue is that the radioisotopes have relatively short half-lives of 109 minutes.
“We lose a lot when we go to Calgary,” Andersson said. “It’s a three-and-a-half-hour drive.”
The new site, first announced in 2021, is being constructed in Calgary adjacent to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre. It will house a third cyclotron, allowing for more access to these types of treatments across southern Alberta.
So why does this matter?
The world of cancer treatments is rapidly changing, and one of the treatments — theronaustics — uses this radiopharmaceutical product produced in the cyclotron as an internal, microscopic GPS to track and treat some cancers.
“By using this precise oncology type of approach, we spare largely physiologic tissues and thus minimizing side effects,” Dr. Stella Koumna, a nuclear medicine specialist said. “What we get as a benefit out of this approach is that the patients tolerate the treatment well with minimal side effects.
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“It’s a very important part of what we do, to have a cyclotron facility nearby.”
That includes for patients like Ron Ohlmann, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer more than eight years ago.
He went through several rounds of cancer treatment, including medications and chemotherapy, before being suggested PSMA PET or Pluvicto, which uses theronaustics.
“Jan. 2 was my first treatment and I finished my sixth treatment one month ago today,” Ohlmann said during an interview at the Cross Cancer Institute. “The chemo helped and certainly I’m grateful for the chemo because I’m still here, but the Pluvicto has taken all that pain away.”
“This feels like I’ve had a year off (of treatment), really, so I’m very grateful for it,” he added.
“It feels like a time to recover, an opportunity to get better.”
Ohlmann said he’ll find out soon if he needs more treatment but after his last round, his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) count used to indicate prostate cancer was “normal” for the first time in six years.
“My wife and I did a little happy dance,” he said.
Ohlmann said that much of the treatment he has undergone has been “relatively new” but he’s excited to be offered those opportunities.
“I tell people it’s like some kind of science fiction stuff — and I love science fiction stuff — so it’s kind of fun to be part of it,” he said. “Eight-and-a-half years into it, I am convinced I wouldn’t be here without all these treatments.”
In 2024, the Alberta Cancer Foundation (ACF) committed $3-million in funding, which was matched by the Government of Alberta for a total investment of $6 million, to bring PSMA PET to Edmonton.
“We were able to fund the clinical trial to get it going, which for those patients, it gave them access to a treatment which wasn’t here before — a potentially life-saving treatment,” said ACF CEO Wendy Beauchesne. “We see that as a big part of our mandate of what we do and we’re really proud to be part of it.”
“There are new and emerging ways and therapies to treat cancers, and it’s continuing to evolve and it is continuing to progress thanks to research, and most of the research is driven by donors and community support,” Beauchesne said.
That clinical trial has now turned into a province-wide standard of care, which will become even more available to patients once the new facility in Calgary is complete.
“Not having to do that transport across the province is going to mean more therapies available for more people in more parts of the province.”
No completion date has been announced for the Calgary Radiopharmaceutical Centre. When asked for details, the province said, “we look forward to updating Albertans on the status of this project in the coming weeks.”
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