Rinecker Proton Therapy Centre
Munich, Germany
Enquiries
Rinecker Proton Therapy Centre (RPTC) is the first European proton radiation centre for outpatient treatment of tumours to offer a complete hospital setting. Established by surgeon Dr. Hans Rinecker, Ph.D., the long-term goal is to set up additional facilities in other cities and countries.
Tumours in the head/neck area, where proton therapy reduces damage to saliva glands and minimises dry mouth problems after therapy.
For more information on surgery options, alone or in conjunction with proton therapy visit the Rinecker Surgery Centre page.
Rinecker Proton Therapy Centre welcomes enquiries from doctors and from patients, whether for treatment or for a second opinion.
Prostate carcinoma. When used as the sole treatment, proton scanning achieves the same favourable dose distribution as combined brachytherapy/X-ray radiation. This is important to maximise effective dose to the tumour whilst reducing risk of damage to continence and erectile function.
Some conditions benefit from a combinations of surgery, proton therapy and/or chemotherapy and these are available at the adjacent Dr Rinecker Surgical Hospital, with guest accommodation and international patient services.
What sorts of tumours can be treated?
Tumours of the brain and base of skull, including those close to optic and auditory nerves, pituitary gland, brain stem and cranial nerves.
In principle, the physical and biological properties of protons allow the treatment of any tumour previously treated with X-ray radiation. Proton therapy is especially suitable for tumours where X-ray treatment is difficult or impossible due to associated side effects. This includes:
Lung and liver tumours. Preliminary indications from the Loma Linda centre in the USA seem to indicate that proton radiation for bronchial carcinomas (lung cancer) is even superior to surgery.
Worldwide, all proton facilities currently planned or under construction will use scanning technology. Using this method, the beam scans the tumour in a grid-like fashion with the utmost precision, with up to 10,000 target points in the tumour.
Ocular tumours. This is one of the oldest applications of proton therapy since X-rays would damage the optic nerve and brain behind the tumour.
Local recurrence and individual metastases. In selected cases, proton therapy is the only way to effect partial or total removal in all localizations in the body. It is the most common option for metachronous multiple liver metastases (following carcinomas of the colon), which are not suitable for X-ray therapy because of the risk of liver damage.
Proton scanning
Does Rinecker Proton Therapy Centre treat children?
Tumours of the abdomen and pelvis, where adverse effects of proton therapy are reduced by 67% to 80% compared to X-ray therapy.
Spinal tumours and metastases. Proton therapy allows the radiation dose to the spinal cord to be drastically reduced, even at the center of the radiation field.
Yes, and proton therapy is especially appropriate for children. All therapeutic radiation carries some risk of causing secondary tumours later in life, but proton therapy can significantly reduce this so children stand to gain the greatest benefit.
RPTC has the world’s first system specifically designed and optimised for scanning at all four of it fully movable therapy stations (gantries). This enables RPTC to treat more patients using the optimal scanning method than any other institution worldwide.
RPTC has been in clinical operation since March 2009 and is designed to treat up to 4,000 patients annually. It is available to patients in Germany with statutory or private health insurance and to international patients.
Rinecker Proton Therapy Centre does not conduct research or experiments. It is CE-certified and officially approved by the Bavarian Environment Agency [Landesamt für Umwelt] for health care.
Is RPTC a treatment or a research centre?
Further information and downloads
For more information on services for international patients, including accommodation at the centre, visit the Rinecker International Patients page.
The Rinecker Proton Therapy Team
Prof. Manfred Herbst
Dr Markus Wilms
Click photographs for more information
Dr Alfred Haidenberger
Dr Marc Andrea Walser
Dr Dagmar Dohr
Dr Christian Berchtenbreiter
Dr Morten Eckermann
Olga Meltser
Christian Skalsky
Hans Delfs
Julia Kinder
Julia Irger
It is approved to irradiate all tumours previously treated with X-ray radiation as well as according to international proton therapy regimens.
Why choose proton therapy?
Proton therapy is a form of radiation treatment which can be given in the place of coventional radiotherapy using X-rays or where conventional radiotherapy is not possible. Important advantages include:
Much more accurate 3-dimensional targeting of the tumour and so greatly reduced side effects.
Ability to treat tumours where X-rays cannot be used, because they would damage or destroy sensitive tissue beyond.
Ability to deliver higher doses of radiation to stubborn, deep-seated tumours than could be allowed with conventional radiotherapy.
Greatly reduced number of days required for a course of treatment.
Much lower danger of the radiation therapy itself causing cancers later in life.
"We provide gentler treatment than any other clinic is capable of today"
Hans Rinecker MD PhD, Chairman of the Board, PROHEALTH AG
Please complete our on-line Proton Therapy Enquiry Form and select Rinecker Proton Therapy Centre. You can also select other centres if you wish and your chosen centre(s) will contact you directly. We are not authorised to discuss individual cases.
Important note to all patients
We provide enquiry forms or other contact details for the treatment or diagnotic centres featured and these centres will be pleased to answer your questions about services and costs.
PPM Consult Ltd. promotes selected clinics and certain specialities within individual hospitals inassociation with Medilux Healthcare Ltd. (MHL), where we believe the standards of care or medical equipment to be exceptional. We provide you with general information but we cannot advise or enter into correspondence about individual cases and we do not arrange or facilitate treatments. We shall not be responsible for the outcome of any treatment or failure to diagnose or treat and we recommend that all patients obtain professional medical advice on their proposed treatments.
Make an enquiry for proton therapy.
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