New proton therapy center to treat cancer will open soon

Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy used primarily to treat non-spreading cancers and specific types of cancers. Proponents say it allows a greater precision in targeting cancer cells without damaging surrounding healthy tissue.

The Proton Treatment Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, Calif., was the first hospital to open such a facility in 1990 and continues to treat prostate, lung, brain and other types of cancers. Though they are expensive to build, new centers are opening around the country.

The Chicago Tribune reports on the difference such treatment centers can make in “State’s first proton therapy set to open.�

Read more about proton therapy and what cancers can be treated and what new centers are planned or in the works.

-- Mary Forgione / Los Angeles Times