Congressman Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) announced today that he has secured an $800,000 federal earmark to expand cancer radiation therapy treatments available in the greater Monmouth County area.

    The money secured by Smith will help CentraState Health Care System in Freehold as the hospital works to add a second radiation therapy treatment center because of the growing demand for such services.

    “This significant federal earmark is great news for cancer patients in Monmouth County and throughout the central New Jersey region,” Smith said.

    “Radiation therapy focuses the treatment directly onto the cancerous cells so that healthy surrounding cells are not destroyed during the process.  This greatly improves treatment and overall quality of life for cancer patients, and I’m very pleased we will be able to expand this service and serve even more patients,” Smith added.

    “In its first year of service, CentraState provided more than 6,000 treatment sessions for about 550 patients, far above the estimated 3,600 treatment sessions.  This caused a patient waiting list to develop, sparking CentraState to seek additional support to add a second treatment center. 

    “The existing radiation therapy center at CentraState was only the 40th built in the entire nation and sixth in New Jersey.  Before it was built, area residents had no local source of radiation therapy,” Smith said.

    The centerpiece of the radiation therapy center is a machine called the linear accelerator, which produces high-energy X-Ray beams focused directly at the cancerous cells. Prior to receiving treatment, patients undergo a three-dimensional “mapping” of the treatment area so the radiation oncologist can focus appropriate dosages of radiation on the tumor.

    The region served by CentraState has about 2,000 new cancer cases each year, and about 60 percent of those cases, according to CentraState officials, require radiation therapy.

    The funding is included in the Fiscal Year 2004 Consolidated Omnibus Appropriations Act, which the House is expected to approve on Monday.