The National Association for Proton Therapy (NAPT) is the Voice of the Proton Community in the U.S. NAPT promotes the clinical benefits of proton beam radiation therapy for cancer patients and their families. Founded in 1990, NAPT is an independent, non-profit, public benefit corporation. It serves as a resource center for cancer patients and their families, physicians and health care providers, academic medical centers, cancer centers, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other federal health care agencies, members of Congress and staff, and the nation's news media.
We are strong advocates for proton therapy and the delivery and effectiveness of a superior and far more advanced form of radiation treatment that results in less morbidity and minimum to no side effects.
Proton Therapy Momentum
Since 1954, when proton beam radiation therapy was first introduced for human treatment, about 55,000 patients have been treated in the U.S. and around the world. Since 1990, when Loma Linda opened the world’s first hospital-based proton center in southern, California, between 15,000 - 17,000 patients have been treated exclusively in the U.S. for some 50 different types of tumors. About 8,000 men have been treated for prostate cancer. The U.S. currently has 5 full-scale operating proton facilities. Future proton centers now in the development stage include: Hampton University in the Tidewater VA area, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Seattle Washington's Cancer Care Alliance, Northern Illinois University and Oklahoma City.
