Proton therapy helps change outcome for New York cancer patient

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:00]Lung cancer is behind one in five cancer deaths in this country making it the deadliest cancer out there but doctors say proton therapy is helping change outcomes. It's offered at only one place in the entire state of New York. Health reporter Jenna DeAngelo has visited that center in East Harlem.

[00:00:18]There's hope, faith and family. For Marie Franzelueon and her daughter, that's everything and it carried them through an unexpected journey.

[00:00:26]>> You hear the word cancer, it's just a different word when you hear it for somebody that's your best friend, your my everything. It started with Marie feeling heartburn and shoulder pain. Her daughter, a nurse, took her to different specialists with no clear answers. A CT scan ultimately led to a lung cancer diagnosis. It spread to her lymph nodes.

[00:00:48]I don't drink. I don't smoke. And I think that was the most surprising thing. But during my research, I come to find out that you know, anyone who has lungs can get lung cancer. She was put on a targeted drug to shrink the tumors at Memorial Sloan Kettering, then referred to the New York Proton Center to get rid of remaining disease.

[00:01:08]Radiation plays a big role in lung cancer. About 60% of all patients receive some type of radiation. Many patients who couldn't be treated safely before now have the option of getting proton therapy.

[00:01:19]>> Inside a treatment room, Dr. Charles Simone explains how proton therapy can offer a more precise approach than traditional radiation therapy.

[00:01:26]>> Here, we can send the radiation in, directly hit the tumor, and then all the radiation gets deposited in the tumor.

[00:01:32]So, all the normal tissues beyond that area are completely protected and we can have fewer side effects, better preservation of quality of life for patients.

[00:01:39]>> You would never know my mom was receiving radiation. She was not tired.

[00:01:44]She was herself, still cooking. Since treatment in 2022, she's marked major milestones, celebrating her daughter's wedding, welcoming two grandchildren, and ringing the bell.

[00:01:55]>> Cancer free now. Thanks to my doctor.

[00:01:57]It's such a blessing that cancer, lung cancer is no longer like a death sentence because of people like Dr. Simone that choose to continue to research and continue to not give up so that we can have more birthdays.

[00:02:13]>> Marie just turned 65, celebrating the gift of more time, more memories, and the chance to spread more hope. In East Harlem, Janine Di Angelo is CBS News New York.

[00:02:26]Now, since her proton therapy, Marie sees Dr. Simone every 3 months, and she has no signs of cancer recurrence. We wish her the best.