Calgary's third cyclotron centre will bring radiopharmaceutical cancer treatments closer to southern Alberta patients

Construction is underway on a radiopharmaceutical centre and cyclotron in Calgary to provide patients in southern Alberta with faster access to advanced cancer treatments currently available mainly in Edmonton.

Cyclotrons produce radioactive material used in medical diagnostics and cancer treatment. Edmonton currently has two cyclotrons — one at the University of Alberta's South Campus and one at the Cross Cancer Institute — that produce radioisotopes for medical use across the province. The challenge is that these isotopes have relatively short half-lives of 109 minutes. "We lose a lot when we go to Calgary," said Jan Andersson, the director of the Edmonton Radiopharmaceuticals Centre. "It's a three-and-a-half-hour drive."

The new Calgary Radiopharmaceutical Centre, constructed adjacent to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, will house Alberta's third cyclotron. Construction is anticipated to be complete by fall 2027.

One particularly promising treatment uses theronaustics — a radiopharmaceutical product that acts as an internal, microscopic GPS to track and treat some cancers. "By using this precise oncology type of approach, we spare largely physiologic tissues and thus minimizing side effects," said Dr. Stella Koumna, a nuclear medicine specialist. "What we get as a benefit out of this approach is that the patients tolerate the treatment well with minimal side effects."

Patient Ron Ohlmann, diagnosed with prostate cancer more than eight years ago, underwent several rounds of treatment including chemotherapy before being offered PSMA PET (Pluvicto), which uses theronaustics. "Jan. 2 was my first treatment and I finished my sixth treatment one month ago today," Ohlmann said during an interview at the Cross Cancer Institute. After his last round, his PSA count was "normal" for the first time in six years. "My wife and I did a little happy dance," he said. "Eight-and-a-half years into it, I am convinced I wouldn't be here without all these treatments."

In 2024, the Alberta Cancer Foundation committed $3 million in funding, which was matched by the Government of Alberta for a total investment of $6 million, to bring PSMA PET to Edmonton.