Milwaukee — Today, the Froedtert & MCW health network celebrated a milestone of bringing proton therapy to Wisconsin by raising the final beam atop its proton therapy clinic. This is in preparation for the 2025 installation of the MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System® at the Froedtert & MCW Clinical Cancer Center on the Froedtert Hospital campus.
Proton therapy delivers a precisely targeted dose of radiation directly to a cancer tumor using high-energy beams of proton particles rather than X-rays. It is currently not available in Wisconsin.
“Today, cancer patients go out of state to receive proton therapy. We’re looking forward to easing the burden by making this advanced treatment accessible without the need to travel far from home,” said Christopher Schultz, MD, FACR, Medical College of Wisconsin Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Clinical Cancer Center. “Bringing proton therapy to Wisconsin embodies the ongoing commitment of Froedtert & MCW Cancer network’s leadership in radiation oncology patient care and clinical research.”
Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that better targets radiation doses to cancerous cells with less exposure to healthy tissues. Protons are directed precisely at the tumor, where the beam penetrates the tumor and stops, rather than exiting through healthy tissues as conventional radiation does. This approach helps prevent complications and secondary cancers and can be used with patients who have previously had radiation therapy.
"We are proud to mark this significant milestone alongside the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network as we prepare to bring state-of-the-art proton therapy to Wisconsin,” said Curt Kienast, Chief Operating Officer of Mevion Medical Systems. “By installing the MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System, we are not only advancing cancer care but also ensuring that patients in Wisconsin have access to the latest advancements in radiation therapy without the need to travel far from home. This underscores our commitment to making advanced treatments like proton therapy accessible and emphasizes our dedication to improving patient outcomes.”
The Froedtert & MCW health network will offer proton therapy to adults, and in collaboration with Children’s Wisconsin, one of the nation’s top pediatric facilities, to treat pediatric patients.
The Froedtert & MCW health network is partnering with Legion Healthcare Partners to bring the MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System® to Wisconsin and aid the health network's plan to provide technologically evolved proton therapy for cancer patients who require radiation therapy.
Mortenson Construction is building the proton clinic. HGA is the architectural firm leading design of the clinic’s interiors.
To learn more about the Froedtert & MCW Cancer Network, visit froedtert.com/cancer. The Cancer Network has six locations — anchored by the power and unparalleled resources of eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center.
About the Froedtert & MCW health network
The Froedtert & MCW health network is a partnership between Froedtert Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin supporting a shared mission of patient care, innovation, medical research and education. Our health network operates eastern Wisconsin's only academic medical center and adult Level I Trauma Center at Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, an internationally recognized training and research center engaged in thousands of clinical trials and studies. The Froedtert & MCW health network, which includes 10 hospital locations, more than 2,300 physicians and more than 45 health centers and clinics, draws patients from throughout the Midwest and the nation. In our most recent fiscal year, outpatient visits were more than 1.6 million, inpatient admissions to our hospitals exceeded 57,500 and visits to our network physicians totaled more than 1.28 million.
In addition to Froedtert Hospital, the network includes Froedtert Bluemound Rehabilitation Hospital, Froedtert Holy Family Memorial Hospital, Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital, Froedtert West Bend Hospital and Froedtert Community Hospital with locations in Mequon, New Berlin, Oak Creek and Pewaukee. The health network represents the collaboration of Wisconsin’s largest multispecialty physician practice with two community-based physician groups. In 2017, an existing affiliation with the former United Hospital System was expanded to include what is now known as Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital and related clinics in the network. In 2024, Froedtert Health and ThedaCare became one organization, making it possible for the health network to enhance access to care for more people in Wisconsin.