Proton therapy is available at roughly 45 cancer centers across the United States, with the largest concentrations in Florida, Texas, and the Northeast. Outside the U.S., centers operate in Europe, Asia, and a growing number of other countries. Because proton therapy requires massive, expensive equipment, it’s only offered at specialized facilities, and many patients travel to reach one.
Proton Therapy Centers by State
Florida has the most options, with six centers spanning Jacksonville, Miami, Delray Beach, and Orlando. Texas is home to MD Anderson Cancer Center’s proton program in Houston and the Texas Center for Proton Therapy in Irving. New Jersey has three centers in Somerset, New Brunswick, and Voorhees Township. Tennessee also has three: in Memphis (St. Jude, primarily for pediatric patients), Franklin, and Knoxville.
Major academic medical centers with proton therapy include Mayo Clinic in both Phoenix and Rochester, Minnesota; Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle; Emory in Atlanta; Ohio State University in Columbus; and Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. The New York Proton Center serves the New York City area, and two centers in the Washington, D.C. region (Georgetown and Johns Hopkins at Sibley Memorial) cover the mid-Atlantic.
Other states with at least one center include Arkansas, California (Loma Linda and San Diego), Georgia, Illinois (Peoria and Warrenville), Kansas (two centers in the Kansas City area), Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan (Flint and Royal Oak), Missouri (two in Creve Coeur), Utah, and Virginia (Hampton and Annandale).
If you don’t see your state listed, the nearest option may still be within driving distance or a short flight. Many patients relocate temporarily for the weeks of treatment required.
International Options
Proton therapy is expanding globally, though many international facilities are still in planning or early operational stages. Canada’s first dedicated proton center, the Ben Stelter Center for Proton Therapy, is in Edmonton. The UK, Germany, France, Japan, and South Korea have operational centers. Additional facilities are in development in Australia (Brisbane), Belgium, Spain (multiple cities), Taiwan, the UAE (Dubai), and Romania. The Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG) maintains a directory of both active and planned facilities worldwide.
Which Cancers Qualify
Proton therapy isn’t used for every type of cancer. Its advantage is precision: protons deposit most of their energy directly in the tumor and stop, sparing the healthy tissue behind it. This matters most when a tumor sits near critical structures like the brain, spinal cord, eyes, or heart, or when the patient is a child whose developing body is especially vulnerable to radiation’s long-term effects.
Medicare considers proton therapy medically necessary for brain tumors (including glioblastoma, meningioma, and medulloblastoma), eye melanomas, pituitary tumors, skull base chordomas and chondrosarcomas, advanced head and neck cancers, sinus cancers, unresectable retroperitoneal sarcomas, and solid tumors in children. For other cancers, including some prostate, breast, lung, and liver tumors, coverage may require enrollment in a clinical trial or registry, or documentation showing that conventional radiation can’t safely deliver an adequate dose.
Private insurers vary. Some cover proton therapy broadly for the conditions listed above. Others require a comparative treatment plan showing that proton therapy would meaningfully reduce damage to surrounding tissue compared to standard radiation.
How to Get a Referral
You typically need a referral from your oncologist or radiation oncologist. Your doctor sends your medical records, imaging, and pathology reports to a proton therapy center, where their team reviews your case to determine whether you’re a good candidate. Some centers accept self-referrals and will coordinate with your existing care team afterward.
The process moves faster than many patients expect. At Mayo Clinic, radiation oncologists can generally see referred patients within one to two weeks, often within a week. Urgent cases can be seen within 24 hours. Most major proton centers have similar timelines and offer phone consultations for referring physicians who want to discuss a case before sending the patient.
What Treatment Looks Like
Before your first session, you’ll go through a planning phase. This involves imaging scans and the creation of a custom mold or mask to hold your body in exactly the same position for every treatment. The planning process can take a few days to a week.
Treatment itself follows a predictable schedule: five days a week for several weeks. Each appointment lasts about 15 to 30 minutes in the treatment room, though the actual beam delivery takes only a few minutes. Most of that time is spent positioning you precisely and calibrating the machine. From walking in the door to walking out, expect roughly an hour per visit. Some treatment plans call for daily sessions, others twice daily, and the total course length depends on the tumor type and size.
Cost and Insurance Coverage
Proton therapy costs more than conventional radiation, though the gap may be smaller than you’d expect. A Swedish study comparing proton therapy to conventional radiation for brain tumors found total healthcare costs of about $14,639 for proton therapy versus $13,308 for conventional radiation over a 58-week period, a difference of roughly $1,370 that wasn’t statistically significant. In the U.S., out-of-pocket costs vary widely depending on your insurance, the center, and your diagnosis.
Medicare covers proton therapy for the conditions listed in their approved indications, but your medical record must document why proton therapy is the better choice for your specific case, including dosimetric evidence showing reduced harm to normal tissue. For diagnoses not in the core approved group, Medicare may still cover treatment if it’s part of a clinical trial or registry designed to generate published outcomes data.
If your insurer initially denies coverage, many proton centers have financial counselors who specialize in appeals. Some centers also offer payment plans or financial assistance programs.
Travel and Lodging Support
Since treatment runs for multiple weeks, many patients need to relocate temporarily. Several programs exist to help with this. The American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge provides free housing for cancer patients and a caregiver at 31 locations across the U.S. You can reach them at 800-227-2345. The ACS Hotel Partners Program offers discounted hotel stays for patients traveling for outpatient treatment.
For families with children receiving proton therapy, Ronald McDonald Houses operate over 350 locations worldwide and provide rooms, meals, and support services at little or no cost. Joe’s House (joeshouse.org) maintains a searchable database of lodging near cancer treatment centers, with many listings offering patient discounts. Some proton centers also operate their own patient housing. Ask for a social worker or patient navigator at the center you’re considering; they can walk you through what’s available in that specific area and help coordinate logistics before you arrive.