Collaboration is, and always has been, a cornerstone of Penn Medicine’s approach to groundbreaking research and quality care. The Abramson Cancer Center’s ecosystem comprises of 6 acute care hospitals throughout the region, and dozens of outpatient multispecialty care locations and affiliated partners to share resources and knowledge where it matters the most — with patients.
The Abramson Cancer Center’s commitment to reducing the burden of cancer includes a coordinated and integrated healthcare delivery system closer to where people live — from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. This goes beyond the clinic and includes our leaders and staff work collaboratively with communities to ensure access and reduce disparities through important Community Outreach and Engagement Programs.
In addition to our six hospitals and many outpatient locations, we have partners and affiliates such as the Penn Cancer Network. Together, the Abramson Cancer Center is able to extend its renowned research, leading-edge resources and novel technology to patients throughout the region, including access to Penn Medicine’s extensive clinical trials and expert insight from physician specialists. Bringing patients and families the best in cancer care is the focus of all we do, no matter where they live.
Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center Locations
Penn Cancer Network Locations
PCN Affiliate Practices
The opening of two new proton therapy locations builds on the innovative proton therapy work led by Penn Medicine’s Roberts Proton Therapy Center. It also broadens the scope of life-changing radiation therapy services offered in a single location by a community hospital.
A proton therapy center opened in late 2022 at the Lancaster General Health Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute, part of Penn Medicine, in central Pennsylvania as the first and only proton therapy center in its region.
"Currently, patients who may benefit from proton therapy—especially for hard-to-treat cancers—can only receive it at a handful of specialized centers across the country," says Randall A. Oyer, MD, Medical Director, Oncology, Lancaster General Health. "This project represents the next phase of proton therapy, in which these treatment facilities will spread into the community to make it easier for patients to get access."
Penn Medicine, in partnership with Virtua Health System, will also open a proton facility at Virtua’s acute care hospital, Virtua Voorhees. The $35-million center will be the first proton therapy center in South Jersey and just one of 42 in the United States. When it opens in early 2023, this new suburban location will allow patients to undergo leading-edge proton therapy with the added convenience of being close to home during treatment and recovery.
"Penn Medicine has built an international reputation for excellence in cancer treatment and trained more than 70% of the clinicians using proton therapy around the world," says James Metz, MD, Chair of Radiation Oncology at Penn Medicine. "We’re very excited for the opportunity to share this expertise with our colleagues at Virtua."
From evaluation to treatment, patients at Lancaster General Health and Virtua will be able to get everything they need at the new facilities, including access to clinical trials involving proton therapy. The only aspect of care that will remain based at Penn Medicine is the treatment-planning phase, but this will be done virtually so patients can benefit from the expertise of our world-renowned doctors without traveling distances for appointments. They can stay where they’re most comfortable—close to home and close to loved ones.
In 2013, Chester County Hospital joined Penn Medicine as part of an ongoing effort to provide the most progressive and advanced healthcare services for the people in Chester County and the surrounding areas.
When the hospital debuted its new 250,000-square-foot expansion in 2021, it catapulted that care to the next level. Chester County Hospital now features a comprehensive Penn Heart and Vascular Center, 15 state-of-the-art operating suites, an innovative orthopaedics pod and access to the world’s most advanced cancer treatments and expert Penn Medicine cancer specialists at the Abramson Cancer Center at Chester County Hospital.
Penn Medicine Radnor’s new facility opened in 2020 during the height of the pandemic—a four-story, state-of-the-art, outpatient medical facility designed entirely around patient needs.
The center was created with how patients use medical services in mind by grouping together clinicians by the type of condition they treat. This design encourages deeper collaboration among specialists and, perhaps more importantly, offers easier access for patients who often need to visit multiple offices in a single visit. For example, a patient can see a primary care physician, consult with a specialist, complete lab work and get radiology services, all in one convenient location.
At the Breast Center of Excellence at Penn Medicine Radnor, patients get greater access to screenings, imaging, treatments and supportive care. From getting a mammogram to surgery, the Breast Center of Excellence brings together all modalities of breast care: radiology, diagnosis, treatment, surgery and follow-up.
The Center also offers intraoperative ultrasound with 3-D capability that allows for quick margin assessments in the operating room. This reduces the number of times a patient might need to return to the facility after surgery.
"It’s a difficult time for patients and the best thing we can do is provide as many resources and expertise as we can to facilitate their cancer care."
Other new equipment includes the Halcyon machine, which allows for rapid and targeted radiation treatment (10-15 minutes) for breast cancer patients. The Halcyon machine also can take daily images of patients with mini-CAT scans to help to target radiation even further, which protects and spares surrounding healthy tissue.
The close collaboration among cross-sectional teams allows for improved outcomes for breast cancer patients and a smoother, less stressful process for patients from testing to follow-up.
"It’s a difficult time for patients and the best thing we can do is provide as many resources and expertise as we can to facilitate their cancer care," says Alina M. Mateo, MD, MS, Breast Surgeon, Penn Medicine Radnor.
