Proton Therapy

The Proton Therapy Center at the Stephenson Cancer Center offers the latest and most advanced technology in proton therapy. Led by national experts in radiation oncology, OU Medicine has the largest and most comprehensive radiation therapy program in the state.

Available to both adult and pediatric cancer patients, proton therapy is just one of many treatment options available at OU Medicine. The robust collection of cancer-fighting therapies – ranging from clinical trials to advanced surgical procedures – means that Oklahomans don’t have to leave the state to receive the best in cancer care.
 

WHAT IS PROTON THERAPY?

Proton therapy is a type of treatment that delivers high doses of radiation with enhanced precision and speed to tumors, while avoiding surrounding healthy tissues and organs. Proton therapy can be used as a solo treatment, or in combination with other treatments.

Our Technology

Pencil beam scanning and adaptive aperture technology are recent enhancements to existing proton scanning capabilities of the OU Medicine proton system.  OU Medicine is among only three places in the world to offer this advanced proton technology.

This technology improves upon existing proton scanning capabilities by delivering:

Faster treatment
More precise treatment
Limits unnecessary radiation to healthy tissues 

Pencil beam scanning “paints’ the tumors, spot by spot and layer by layer, with the desired radiation dose to ensure precision. The OU Medicine proton system also delivers treatment at a hyper-fast speed that limits errors to those associated with naturally occurring organ motion. Additionally, adaptive aperture technology can automatically tailor the proton beam to match any tumor at any spot and depth, ultimately minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissues and surrounding organs.