ROANOKE, Va. – Carilion Clinic announced Tuesday that it had reached and exceeded its fundraising goal to build a new cancer center, raising $105 million. The campaign completion marks a historic milestone for Carilion Clinic and the community, providing better access to cancer treatments for people living in Southwest Virginia.
Carilion also announced that it is expanding the project’s vision with an additional $50 million initiative to include proton therapy, the most advanced technology for treating certain cancer types.
Carilion Clinic says this technology could help hundreds of local patients every year. The Carilion Taubman Cancer Center, currently being built in Roanoke, will be one of only 50 centers nationwide to offer this precise and advanced cancer treatment.
Nancy Agee, CEO emeritus of Carilion Clinic, called proton therapy “a game changer.”
“It’s called proton therapy,” Agee explained. “This type of cancer treatment can have reduced side effects, yet be more precise in attacking cancer near sensitive organs.”
Agee described how proton therapy differs from traditional radiation: “You use energy with linear accelerators. This is a little different. It’s got a proton instead of a photon. It can be more precise without damaging healthy tissue, and especially important for children with cancer in delicate areas of the body like the brain, like the spine, like the heart, parts of your body that you can’t stop moving.”
Dr. Brendan Klein, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Carilion Clinic who has experience with proton therapy at other facilities said proton therapy is “an awesome tool in our armamentarium, especially against pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors. It allows us to be able to treat very delicate areas of the brain and lesions that are there without damaging other structures.”
Dr. Klein emphasized the importance of proton therapy for children: “Regular radiation therapy can have a nasty effect on cognition as they get older. And the proton beam tends to help spare that, which is a big deal for kids.”
Looking ahead, Dr. Klein said proton therapy will not only help patients now but also open new possibilities for research and treatment development.
“Having the resources that this new cancer center will give to us, and then having the ability to work with the Biomedical Research Institute, the Fralin Institute that’s right next door, it’s a significant opportunity for growth in not just being able to treat patients, but to be able to come up with new treatments and cures as well. It’s very exciting.”
Officials hope to open the cancer center by 2028, and the facility would be the only location in Central and Western Virginia, as well as the third in the state, to offer proton therapy. Carilion said there are only about 50 centers within the U.S. that offer proton therapy.
“Cancer is deeply personal for us, and bringing the best possible care to our home community is one of the most meaningful investments we can make,” said Ambassador Taubman, who has donated a total of $42.5 million to Carilion to open the center and secure proton therapy as a treatment option there. “Jenny and I are profoundly grateful to our friends, neighbors, and the entire community for helping make the Carilion Taubman Cancer Center a reality. Your generosity has brought this dream to life, and together we can take the next step by bringing this transformative technology to our region.”
The new building and expanded program will dramatically improve access to cancer care for the region, enlarging space for services from 40,000 to 260,000 square feet, doubling patient capacity, and broadening the range of advanced treatments and clinical trials available. The center will include comprehensive services for adults, pediatric patients, multidisciplinary care teams and wraparound support services tailored to patients and families.
To learn more or make a gift, visit CarilionFoundation.org/givetocancer