Questions About Proton Treatment Therapy?

In short, proton cancer treatment is an opportunity to treat certain types of cancer effectively with reduced normal tissue exposure compared to other types of oncology radiation.

A proton beam radiates cancer cells, destroying them at the DNA level.

Yes, proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy, but fundamentally different when compared with x-ray based treatments.

Instead of using X-rays, proton machines emit protons in a targeted beam to the cancer to destroy it. Protons do not “pass through” the body in the same way that x-rays do, as they “stop” inside the tumor, thus there is less exposure to normal tissues.

Proton beam therapy centers are also known as proton beam therapy centers, proton therapy facilities, proton therapy clinics, proton radiotherapy centers.

Proton beam centers are located throughout the world, and as of August 2024, there were 46 proton beam radiation locations in the United States. Opening in late 2025, Southwest Florida Proton will be one of the newest proton centers in the U.S, one of only a handful in Florida, and the first of its kind on Florida’s Gulf coast. 

Proton treatment is covered by many insurance providers in the U.S, and you might be surprised to learn it is relatively less expensive than other cancer treatments.

In general, most of the major insurance companies provide coverage for proton therapy.