Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment: UAB Proton Therapy Center To Open In 2020

By Donna Cope

Imagine state-of-the-art cancer treatment that is so exact, it can target tumor-killing radiation directly to any spot in the body, with a low chance of harming tissue in front of, around or behind the tumor.

Starting in 2020, UAB Hospital will begin offering this innovative treatment – proton therapy – for patients with localized cancer. On Jan. 30, UAB broke ground for the state’s first Proton Therapy Center at the corner of 20th Street South and Fifth Avenue.

A technically advanced form of radiation, proton therapy uses highly precise proton beams instead of traditional X-rays to attack tumors. It painlessly delivers radiation through the skin, directly to a targeted place in the body, such as a tumor or organ. There, the proton beams deposit a precise dose of radiation, avoiding damage to healthy surrounding tissue better than conventional X-ray radiation. Currently, there are approximately 20 proton therapy centers in the U.S.Proton International at UAB will be in a three-story building that will house the proton therapy system, manufactured by Varian, a longtime partner with UAB in the delivery of radiation therapy. UAB will lease the property to Proton International, which will build and manage the facility. A leader in the field of proton therapy, Proton International also has two centers underway in Europe.

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