International patients seeking proton therapy will find the world's largest, most advanced proton therapy capabilities in Philadelphia at Penn Medicine's Roberts Proton Therapy Center.
Proton therapy is an incredibly precise cancer treatment that uses a beam of protons moving at very high speeds, delivering powerful energy that destroys the DNA of cancer cells, killing them and preventing them from multiplying.
Unlike conventional radiation that can affect surrounding healthy tissue, proton therapy's precise, high dose of radiation is extremely targeted. There is less damage to healthy surrounding tissue because of this. Proton therapy is painless, non-invasive and well-tolerated in many patients.
Penn Medicine is one of only a few proton therapy facilities in the world to offer pencil-beam scanning technology. Proton therapy delivered with pencil-beam technology allows doctors to "paint" the tumor with a proton beam tuned to a specific range, as well as adjust the intensity of the beam to achieve the desired dose distribution.
Cancers Treated with Proton Therapy
If you are interested in proton therapy, our team will perform a careful evaluation, review your history and diagnosis, and decide if it is right for you. If it is, we will discuss our recommendations and develop a detailed treatment plan with you.
Proton therapy may treat lesions in the following areas of the body:
- Bones and soft tissues (sarcoma)
- Brain including base of the skull
- Breast
- Gastrointestinal track including esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, rectal and anus
- Reproductive organs
- Head and neck including throat and thyroid
- Liver
- Lymph system (lymphomas)
- Lung
- Prostate
- Spinal cord
Penn Medicine's Roberts Proton Therapy Center in detail