The Proton Therapy Centre in Prague is one of the most advanced proton therapy providers in Europe.
For certain patients, its outstanding treatment for prostate cancer presents a top-quality alternative to treatment by better known cancer centers such as M.D. Anderson in the U.S. For these patients, a treatment plan usually consists of five sessions, and the patient goes home within a week to 10 days, unlike the current standard proton therapy treatment of up to 40 sessions over two months.
“Show me one person who is aware of the side effects and toxicity from standard radiation compared to proton therapy who would choose standard radiation.”
Mr. Václav Laštovka, CEO Proton Therapy Center
Quality is everyone’s responsibility
Since the Proton Therapy Center opened in 2012 in Prague, it has treated more than 2,000 patients who had solid tumors. Not many other proton treatment centers in the world have had so many patients. It has served clients from more than 25 countries, some who have come to Prague from as far as Alaska and Australia.
Quality is a cornerstone of the center. To Quality Manager Kateřina Krejbichovà, who has led quality departments in conventional hospitals, quality must extend beyond clinical concerns of fall prevention, hand hygiene, infection control, and so on.
All staff, medical and non-medical, are required to meet 20 parameters for patient communication and satisfaction, from the number of days within which treatment planning begins, reasons for cancellations, quality of consultations to follow up and feedback with a special email address directly into her inbox.
International patients and medical tourists
The center has several treatment coordinators who work closely with doctors and medical physicists to assist medical travelers throughout their treatment journeys and are available 24/7 to lend peace of mind.
Treatment coordinators help make arrangements before treatment begins, to facilitate additional testing or a diagnostic package before treatment, and to follow along as a treatment plan is generated. A treatment contract must be signed before proton therapy begins.
Once a treatment date is set, center coordinators help with flights and accommodation.
For diagnoses other than prostate cancer, most treatment plans can be done in one day, this would be:
- Consultation
- Blood tests
- MRI
- CT Scan
- Fixation device prepared (cast made)
Once the treatment planning is done, proton therapy can then begin about a week later. Patients have regular consultations with a doctor throughout treatment.
Treatment takes place in one of four treatment rooms (three gantry, one fixed) with state-of-the-art active scanning techniques and the highly accurate pencil beam technology.
Proton therapy treatment in Prague
On arrival in Prague for treatment, medical travelers receive a thick folder with detailed information needed during one’s stay, forms to fill out, maps of Prague, a phrase book, and a Czech mobile phone programmed with local useful phone numbers.
Most children, and occasionally adults, stay as inpatients at a nearby hospital for monitoring during treatment.
Thanks to the gentle nature of proton therapy, patients have the energy to enjoy Prague. Coordinators are happy to help make arrangements for sightseeing.
Patient coordinators work with each patient’s home-based oncologist/urologist throughout treatment and afterwards if necessary. They maintain regular contact with the patient after treatment has finished, and are encouraged to return to Prague for regular 3 monthly check-ups if it is comfortable for them to do so. If they prefer, patients may have their appointments with their regular urologist/oncologist/GP back at home.
If the patient has received proton therapy for prostate cancer, their check-up will consist of a PSA level check.
Treatment for solid tumors in children and adults
It is now expected that more than 80% of pediatric patients can be successfully cured of cancer.
If radiation therapy is indicated for a child, proton therapy may offer the most effective and gentlest method of contemporary medicine.
The Proton Therapy Center offers treatment for:
- Pediatric cancers
- Lymphomas
- Head and neck cancers
- Prostate cancers
- Lung cancers
- Breast cancers
- Digestive tract cancers
Featured treatments
Proton Therapy Center is a leader in lymphomas treatment and research, all under the charge of world famous specialist, Dr. Katerina Dedeckova.
The center is also particularly proud of its treatment and research in prostate cancer.
The center received global news coverage in 2014 with the case of Ashya.
Contact details
Proton Therapy Center Czech, s.r.o.,
Budínova 2437/1a
180 00 Prague 8
Czech Republic
Tel: +420 222 999 000
General email: info@ptc.cz