NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
Vanderbilt Children's Hospital will soon have a brand new weapon in the fight against pediatric cancer, and what's in the walls may surprise you.
The type of treatment for young cancer patients is so powerful it takes walls of lead to stop the radiation from harming others.
Doctors call the procedure targeted therapy, which uses an antibody to seek out the cancer.
"We tag radiation to it, so you are delivering radiation directly to the tumor," said Dr. Haydar Frangoul.
Surrounding the room are bricks of lead, which were made by melting down 27,000 pounds of bullets recovered from shooting ranges.
"The room is totally shielded," Frangoul said. "That is all to protect the other patients and the staff who are watching after that child."
But even after their treatment, patients must spend another three to four days in the room for safety. Parents are allowed to stay in the next room, and they can see their child with a two-way camera system.
The room is part of a 30-room addition to the hospital, and doctors will begin treating patients in the room in the next couple months.
Hospital officials said using the recovered bullets is actually a pretty cost-effective way to buy that much lead.
Fewer than 10 such rooms exist in the United States, and the specialized treatment is expected to bring patients from as far away as Georgia and Florida.
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