Ackerman Cancer Center Opens Proton Therapy Unit

WASHINGTON, May 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first private, physician-owned practice to offer proton therapy in the United States is now treating patients. The new proton therapy unit at Ackerman Cancer Center, Jacksonville, FL, treated its first patients on April 30, 2015. The Ackerman proton therapy unit joins just 15 operating proton centers in the U.S., including the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville.

A list of centers and more information about proton therapy is available on the website of the National Association for Proton Therapy (NAPT) at www.proton-therapy.org.

"It is good news for cancer patients each time a new proton therapy facility opens in the United States," says Tyler Wilson, Executive Director of the NAPT. "New proton therapy facilities mean increased access to treatment options for cancer patients who can benefit from this lifesaving, advanced form of radiation," Mr. Wilson added.  Several new facilities currently are under construction or in planning.

An advanced form of radiation, proton beam therapy's chief clinical advantage is that it can precisely localize radiation, thereby sparing healthy tissue.

The Ackerman proton therapy unit is equipped to treat a wide range of cancers, including cancers of the bladder, breast, eye, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, head and neck, sarcoma and soft tissue.

About the National Association for Proton Therapy (NAPT):

NAPT is a non-profit organization promoting education and public awareness of the clinical benefits of proton beam radiation therapy for cancer treatment. The organization is supported by world-renowned cancer centers that offer life-saving proton therapy treatment to patients. Founded in 1990, NAPT is an advocate for the advancement of proton beam technology and patient access to the unique therapy. Encouraging cooperative research and educating regulators, payment providers, and policymakers about the benefits of the therapy is critical to NAPT's mission. The website (www.proton-therapy.org) is intended to inform patients, health care providers, public and private payers, and the news media about cancer treatment utilizing proton beam radiation.

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SOURCE National Association for Proton Therapy