
As of November 2003 there are two major hospital-based facilities that treat patients with proton beams on a regular basis: Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC), in southern California and the Northeast Proton Treatment Center, which opened in November 2001 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.  Another U.S. facility, the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute will open at Indiana University, soon.  The University of Florida at Gainsville and MDA are both planning centers in the future as well.

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<b>Criteria for treatment</b>
The major problem we have is that Loma Linda and MGH are the only two facilities that will do Proton Beam Therapy on cancer metastases.  

Loma Linda will not do Proton Beam Radiotherapy on a patient  if there is other extensive disease.  As one doctor said to me, "We like to get a bang for our buck."   I do not know about Mass General's policies, it has only been in operation a short time.  MGH and the midwestern facility are new arrivals on the scene, and their policies about metastases and extent of metastases are currently unknown.

Other places might do primaries. Contact the proton beam centers and ASK. It might be possible to FedEx your scans and receive a preliminary opinion quickly.


<b>Some Proton Therapy Links.  There are further facilities worldwide. </b>

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Loma Linda University Medical Center, 11234 Anderson Street, Loma Linda, CA 92354. 
Tel: 909 558 6000

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