Proton Therapy Center Quirónsalud is a single-room proton therapy facility that has been operating since December 2019.

Nearly 1,000 patients from across Spain and abroad have been treated here, half of whom are children. The center actively participates in clinical trials and contributes to the development of proton therapy at both national and international levels.

Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy. Instead of using traditional X-ray (photon) beams to deliver radiation to the tumor, proton therapy employs a high-energy, focused proton beam to precisely target the tumor, minimizing collateral radiation to surrounding healthy cells and tissues.

The advantages of proton beam therapy include potentially fewer side effects from radiation treatment and a higher concentration of radiation in the desired target area, which may improve tumor control and increase the likelihood of curing the disease.

Proton therapy is used to treat cancer and benign tumors in both children and adults when the tumors have not spread and are located near critical organs such as the brain, spinal cord, or heart. It can also be combined with other treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy.

It is becoming a standard treatment for children and adolescents due to the high sensitivity of developing tissues to radiation therapy and the high cure rates in pediatric cancers.

Current indications for proton therapy at our center include:

• Pediatric cancer treated with curative intent
• Skull base, spinal, and paraspinal sarcomas
• Advanced head and neck cancers, such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, oropharyngeal carcinoma, sinus and paranasal cancers, or salivary gland tumors
• Brain tumors in young adults, including low-grade gliomas, meningiomas, ependymomas, medulloblastomas, acoustic neuromas, pituitary adenomas, or CNS germ cell tumors
• Mediastinal lymphoma
• Re-irradiation for a second tumor or local recurrence treated with curative intent
• Selected cases of breast cancer (e.g., left-sided tumors in young patients, those with cardiac comorbidities, or genetic predisposition to cancer)

More common diseases, such as gastrointestinal and prostate cancers, may also be treated in cases with a high risk of radiation-induced side effects due to other conditions.

Other indications currently under development at our center include ocular tumors (choroidal melanoma), esophageal carcinoma, and inoperable hepatocarcinoma, as alternatives to radioablation or SBRT (stereotactic body radiation therapy).

In October 2026, an MR Linac will be available on-site, completing the range of state-of-the-art radiation therapy techniques.