Frequently asked questions

There is no need to be concerned about any language barrier, as the doctors and staff that you will encounter at the Proton Therapy Center in Prague speak English. Our treatment coordinators are either native English speakers or have a very high level of fluency. Additionally, our coordinators speak: Czech, Slovak, German, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, and Russian.

From the time that our medical team determines you are suitable for proton therapy, your consultation can usually be scheduled within 1 to 2 weeks. If you are happy to go ahead with the treatment after your consultation, we can also usually schedule your treatment planning to begin within 1 to 2 weeks. If you wish to come do the initial consultation and treatment planning righ away, that is also possible.

In order for our medical team to assess a patient for suitability, we require some medical information from you. Your treatment coordinator will inform you of exactly what information we require, which can be different depending on the diagnosis. This will need to be provided as official medical documentation from your treating doctors. Usually, we will also request to see scans, such as an MRI, CT or PET scan. This information can be requested from the hospital or clinic and is often given to the patient on a CD. We can provide you with login details to upload the CD to our secure server. Alternatively, you can post it to us. Any information you already have about your diagnosis and previous treatments is very helpful and it is a good idea to provide us with as much information as possible in your initial enquiry. Your case will then be reviewed by our medical team at the daily indication board meeting. Your treatment coordinator will get back to you with the outcome, or possibly a request for more information if the oncologists require it to make their final decision. You should receive a reply within two business days of our team receiving your complete medical documentation.

It is necessary for our medical team to review your documentation before determining if you are suitable for treatment. We find that most patients prefer to know that they are suitable for treatment before they travel to Prague for their consultation. If you already have all of your medical documentation and scans available, an assessment can be done within two business days, so there is no significant delay for you. A consultation is also more beneficial for you if the doctor is able to discuss your case in more depth, and talk to you about your proposed treatment plan, which would not be possible until a full assessment of your case has been done.

Healthcare professionals have a legal requirement to allow you to access your health records. You don’t need to give a reason for wanting to get a copy of your health records. For more information, please click here.

We encourage you to wait until we have reviewed your case and determined you are suitable for proton therapy. It would not be beneficial for you, financial or otherwise, to travel to Prague only to find out proton therapy is not the best treatment for you.

From the time of your initial enquiry you will be put in touch with a treatment coordinator to assist you throughout the whole process. You can correspond with them via email and telephone about being assessed for suitability. They are here to answer any of your questions. Our treatment coordinators take care of our international patients undergoing treatment in Prague. We can help arrange your accommodation, transport to and from the airport, an orientation tour of our facility, and activities you may wish to do while you are in Prague. We are here to provide you with as much support as needed.

If you would like to speak with one of our former patients, please let us know and we can put you in touch with someone who will be happy to answer any of your questions. Alternatively, you can go to the website of the Proton Ambassadors, a group set up by former patients who aim to bring awareness to proton therapy. They are happy to speak with anyone considering proton therapy. You can contact them directly through their website and someone will get back to you shortly www.protonambassadors.co.uk

The number of fractions (treatment sessions) required ranges from 5 to 38 fractions. They are given every weekday, or every second day in the case of patients having only 5 fractions. This means that treatment times range from 2 to 8 weeks, excluding treatment planning. The actual fraction administration only takes a few minutes, but you can expect to be at the centre for 20 to 40 minutes each day, and you are free to explore Prague for the remainder of your day.

The cost of treatment is based on the number of fractions (treatment sessions) a patient is suitable for. Based on the review of your documentation, we are able to confirm the number of fractions you will likely need and the cost of treatment before you come to Prague for a consultation.

We cooperate with several private health insurance providers, including Bupa and WPA. With these partnerships, patients coming to the Proton Therapy Center for treatment may be reimbursed. Please be aware that this has to be determined by the health insurance provider and it is usually done on a case-by-case basis.
We also accept the S2 funding, please click here for more information.

We are currently not one of the NHS commissioned overseas centres. However, we accept the S2 funding, which may entitle you to NHS-funded treatment abroad. Please click here for more information.