Advanced Treatment Available For Cancer Patients In Southern W.Va. 

Three treatments for cancer patients are now available for the first time in southern West Virginia, administrators at Princeton Community Hospital (PCH) in Mercer County announced Thursday. 

“We’re really living through a pretty exciting time as it relates to cancer care research technology,” PCH President and CEO Karen Bowling said during a press conference at the hospital. “There’s just a lot of advancements that are going on that are really making a difference in the lives of the patients that we serve, and we’re focusing on personalized treatment of people close to home.” 

Advanced prostate cancer patients in the region can now access Pluvicto. It uses radioligand therapy to deliver radiation directly to cancer cells with limited exposure to healthy tissue. 

“Then the radioactive particle bombards that cancer cell from the inside. So it’s sort of a Trojan horse scenario where we convince this cell to destroy itself with our therapy,” Dr. Joseph Baisden, a PCH radiation oncologist, said. “It’s really the first of this class of treatment that represents a really big step forward.” 

Another new type of treatment announced at the press conference is called THOR Photobiomodulation therapy. It’s a non-invasive, drug-free treatment that uses red and  infrared light to accelerate healing, relieve pain and reduce painful mouth sores for patients with neck and head cancers. 

“The radiation given daily can cause inflammation, can cause pain, can cause weight loss. Sometimes folks have trouble because they have to have opioid pain medicines, and this type of treatment used daily decreases that pain, decreases the need for opioids, and allows folks to maintain their weight throughout treatment,” said Baisden. 

Until now, patients have had to travel up to 120 miles for similar treatments, Bowling said. 

“You’re already dealing with a family that has financial, emotional, [it’s a] significant, scary time for them, and we don’t want them to have to do that. We want to actually do everything we can to relieve burden from those families by serving them close to home,” she said. 

Cooling caps will also be available soon, to protect hair follicles during chemotherapy and help prevent hair loss. Click here for more information and details on how to contact Princeton Community Hospital.