Proton Therapy Center Czech
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Proton Therapy Center Czech (PTC) is a private proton therapy facility in Prague, Czech Republic. It has operated since December 2012 and provides proton beam radiotherapy for cancer treatment.[1]
The centre is located within the grounds of Bulovka University Hospital in Prague 8, but is not organisationally part of the hospital.[2] Clinical studies based on patients treated at the centre have reported outcomes of proton therapy for prostate cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma and selected head and neck tumours.[3][4][5][6]
History
Proton Therapy Center Czech began operating in December 2012. The privately financed project represented an investment of approximately CZK 3.5 billion.[1]
The centre's early operation was accompanied by a dispute with the General Health Insurance Company of the Czech Republic (Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna České republiky, VZP) over the reimbursement of proton therapy. The dispute concerned an agreement concluded in 2006, before the centre became operational, which VZP subsequently challenged.[7]
In 2016, VZP and the centre signed an agreement on reimbursement and an agreement ending the related legal disputes. At that time, the six Czech employee health insurance funds already had contracts with the centre.[1]
In 2021, Raiffeisen-Leasing acquired the property company through which the centre was owned from Immorent, part of the Erste Group. The reported value of the transaction was CZK 2.5 billion. Proton Therapy Center Czech remained the operator of the facility.[2]
Facility
The centre occupies a five-storey building in the grounds of Bulovka University Hospital. The proton technology is housed in the southern part of the building, which is partly embedded into the slope. The facility contains four proton treatment rooms in concrete vaults as well as diagnostic imaging facilities.[8]
The diagnostic facilities include computed tomography (CT), PET/CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).[8]
Clinical research
Clinical studies involving patients treated at Proton Therapy Center Czech have evaluated proton beam therapy for several tumour types.
Prostate cancer
A study published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics in 2021 analysed 279 patients with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer treated with ultrahypofractionated pencil beam scanning proton therapy. The study evaluated five-year biochemical disease-free survival and late treatment-related toxicity.[3]
A larger retrospective analysis published in Cancers in 2023 evaluated the effectiveness and toxicity of ultrahypofractionated proton radiotherapy in patients with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer.[9]
Hodgkin lymphoma
A prospective study published in Radiotherapy and Oncology in 2025 evaluated 162 patients with mediastinal Hodgkin lymphoma treated with pencil beam scanning proton therapy. At a median follow-up of 59.1 months, the study reported disease-free survival of 95.1%, overall survival of 98.8% and local control of 98.8%.[4]
Head and neck tumours
A 2022 study in the Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences reported outcomes for 12 patients with glomus jugulare tumours treated with pencil beam scanning proton therapy. The median follow-up was 42.2 months, and tumour size remained stable on MRI in all 12 patients during the reported follow-up period.[5]
A study published in the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology in 2024 evaluated 47 patients with p16-positive squamous cell tonsillar cancer who received postoperative intensity-modulated proton therapy. The reported five-year overall survival was 95.7%, relapse-free survival was 97.8% and local control was 100%.[6]
Other research
Research involving scientists affiliated with Proton Therapy Center Czech has included proton beam modelling and treatment verification.
A 2025 multi-institutional study published in Medical Physics examined source-modelling parameters used for commissioning pencil beam scanning proton treatment-planning systems.[10]
Researchers affiliated with the centre have also studied the use of Timepix3 pixel detectors for imaging and tracking clinical proton beam delivery. A feasibility study published in the Journal of Instrumentation in 2026 examined their potential use in quality assurance for medical proton therapy.[11]
Reimbursement dispute
Before the centre opened, VZP had entered into an agreement concerning the future reimbursement of proton therapy. The agreement envisaged reimbursement for treatment of up to 1,600 patients annually. VZP later disputed the validity of the agreement, and the disagreement led to arbitration and other legal proceedings.[7]
The dispute was resolved in June 2016, when VZP and Proton Therapy Center Czech signed a reimbursement contract and agreed to end their related legal disputes.[1]
Architecture
The building was designed by OBERMEYER and collaborating architectural practices. It is situated on a slope and consists of five storeys, with the proton treatment technology incorporated into the southern part of the structure.[8]
The building received the Czech Building of the Year (Stavba roku) award in 2013.[8]
See also
Proton therapy Particle therapy Radiation therapy
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Spor VZP a protonového centra skončil. Obě strany se dohodly". ČT24 (in čeština). Czech Television. 29 June 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Novák, Daniel (19 May 2021). "Protonové centrum na léčbu rakoviny koupila za miliardy Raiffeisen – Leasing". Seznam Zprávy (in čeština). Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kubeš, Jiří; Haas, Alexandra; Vondráček, Vladimír; et al. (15 July 2021). "Ultrahypofractionated Proton Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Low and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer—5-Year Outcomes". International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. 110 (4): 1090–1097. doi:10.1016/j.ijrobp.2021.02.014. PMID 33587990 Check
|pmid=value (help). - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dědečková, Kateřina; Andrlík, Michal; Móciková, Heidi (2025). "Proton beam therapy for mediastinal Hodgkin lymphoma: A prospective study of clinical efficacy and safety". Radiotherapy and Oncology. 208. doi:10.1016/j.radonc.2025.110931. PMID 40355029 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|article-number=ignored (help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kubeš, Jiří (2022). "Pencil-beam scanning proton therapy for the treatment of glomus jugulare tumours". Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences. 69 (4): 456–462. doi:10.1002/jmrs.612. PMC 9714513 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 35973945 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kubeš, Jiří; Al-Hamami, Sarah; Sláviková, Silvia; et al. (28 August 2024). "Proton pencil beam scanning radiotherapy in the postoperative treatment of p16 positive squamous cell tonsillar cancer – evaluation of toxicity and effectivity". European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology. 281 (10): 5447–5454. doi:10.1007/s00405-024-08747-1. PMC 11416402 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 39198306 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Pražské protonové centrum žene VZP k arbitráži". ČT24 (in čeština). Czech Television. 30 March 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Proton Therapy Center". Archiweb. January 1997. Retrieved 6 August 2026.
- ↑ Kubeš, Jiří; Sláviková, Silvia; Vítek, Pavel; et al. (15 September 2023). "5-Years Analysis of Effectivity and Toxicity of Ultra-Hypofractionated Proton Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Low- and Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer—A Retrospective Analysis". Cancers. 15 (18): 4571. doi:10.3390/cancers15184571. PMC 10526468 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 37760540 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Charyyev, Serdar; Maradia, Vivek; Chang, Chih-Wei (2025). "Multiinstitutional survey of source modeling parameters for proton pencil beam scanning treatment planning system commissioning". Medical Physics. 52 (12). Bibcode:2025MedPh..5270199C. doi:10.1002/mp.70199. PMID 41389057 Check
|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|article-number=ignored (help) - ↑ Kurucz, Samuel; Granja, Carlos; Jakubek, Jan (2026). "Imaging and tracking of clinical proton beam delivery with miniaturized stack telescope Timepix3: feasibility study of quality assurance for medical proton therapy". Journal of Instrumentation. 21 (3). Bibcode:2026JInst..2103028K. doi:10.1088/1748-0221/21/03/C03028. Unknown parameter
|article-number=ignored (help)
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