Specialists at the Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Center work closely with referring physicians to provide integrated, collaborative care to our patients. With a dedicated team led by radiation oncologists specializing in proton therapy, patients and their physicians have easy access to the most advanced cancer care available.

We also are one of only a few centers in the country with a dedicated pediatric proton therapy program. In collaboration with Children’s National, this team includes pediatric radiation oncologists, pediatric nurses, nurse practitioners and nurse navigators, nutritionists and a child life specialist.

During and after treatment, we work closely with referring physicians to keep them up to date, and to return the patient to their care once treatment is completed.

Need help determining whether your patient might be a good candidate for proton therapy? Fill out this form to have your patient evaluated by our team.

How Proton Therapy Can Help Your Patient

Proton therapy may be recommended when the goal is to avoid radiation toxicity to nearby tissues and organs. Unlike conventional radiation therapies, there is minimal damaging exit dose with proton therapy, and the highest amount of cancer-killing energy is deposited in the tumor. Therefore, proton therapy offers greater precision and less toxicity than conventional radiation.

In addition to dedicated specialists, our center provides a robust suite of imaging and treatment technology for more precise targeting and smaller error margin, including:

• 360-degree pencil beam technology, with more precise targeting of tumors layer by layer.
• Ability to change energy levels, allowing for shorter patient appointments.
• Leading-edge imaging techniques, including respiratory gating for nonfixed structures and dual-energy CT scans that reduce the range of uncertainty from 3.5% to 1.3%.
• Oncospace, a data system built by the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center that scrutinizes and analyzes therapies that have worked best for a particular cancer in prior patients, helping to improve treatment of new patients.