Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Network is First to Offer Proton Therapy in Wisconsin

Milwaukee, March 27, 2026 – Patients with cancer now have life-saving proton therapy treatment available in Wisconsin at the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Clinical Cancer Center on the Froedtert Hospital campus. This is the first facility to provide proton therapy in the state.

Proton therapy delivers a precisely targeted dose of radiation directly to solid cancer tumors using high-energy beams of proton particles rather than X-rays.

“Offering proton therapy is an exciting milestone for the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Network and, more importantly, the people we are privileged to serve,” said Bryce Gartland, MD, South Region president for Froedtert ThedaCare. “Having this treatment at Froedtert Hospital furthers our Mission to advance the health of our communities through excellence and discovery, inspiring each person to live their unique, best life.”

For more than two decades, the Froedtert & MCW Cancer Network has been at the forefront of the evolution of radiation therapy with the goal of providing more personalized treatments.

“Bringing proton therapy to eastern Wisconsin embodies the ongoing commitment of the Froedtert & MCW Cancer Network’s leadership in radiation oncology patient care and clinical research,” said William Hall, MD, chair of the department of radiation oncology, the Bob Uecker Chair in Pancreatic Cancer Research and professor of radiation oncology and surgery at MCW.

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 like conventional radiation. This approach helps prevent complications and secondary cancers and can also be used with patients who have previously received radiation therapy.

“Today, cancer patients in Wisconsin have another tool in treating cancer. We’re easing the burden by making this advanced treatment accessible without the need to travel far from home,” said Christopher Schultz, MD, FACR, FASTRO, Bernard and Miriam Peck Family Professor of radiation oncology at MCW.

The Froedtert & MCW Cancer Network will offer proton therapy to adults, and in collaboration with Children’s Wisconsin, one of the nation’s top pediatric facilities, to pediatric patients.

The Froedtert & MCW Cancer Network collaborated with Legion Healthcare Partners to bring the MEVION S250i Proton Therapy System® to Wisconsin and provide technologically evolved proton therapy for cancer patients who require radiation therapy.

Construction on the building that houses proton therapy began three years ago on the Froedtert Hospital campus. The Froedtert & MCW Cancer Network worked with Mortenson Construction to build the facilities for proton therapy. HGA provided architectural and engineering design for the proton therapy building, ensuring the specialized space met all shielding, workflow and clinical requirements necessary for proton treatment. Siemens supplied and integrated a standalone CT-on-rails system, delivering the high-precision clinical imaging essential for accurate and effective radiation therapy delivered by the MEVION S250i.

The Froedtert & MCW Cancer Network has six locations – anchored by the power and unparalleled resources of eastern Wisconsin’s only academic medical center.

Learn more about the Froedtert & MCW Cancer Network