California Protons

What California Protons does

California Protons Cancer Therapy Center, LLC operates a single-site proton radiation therapy facility in San Diego, California, delivering intensity-modulated pencil beam scanning treatment across five treatment rooms—two fixed-beam and three equipped with 360-degree rotational gantries. The center is built around the Varian Probeam Proton System powered by a 90-ton cyclotron that generates approximately 5 trillion protons per second, achieving 2-millimeter precision dose delivery. Core technology is paired with Cone Beam CT imaging, which reduces scan radiation by up to 100-fold and shortens imaging time to under one minute per scan. The platform was the first in the United States to offer pencil beam scanning capability in all five treatment rooms.

The center treats a broad spectrum of solid tumor cancers—prostate, breast, pediatric, head and neck, brain and spine, lung, lymphoma, sarcoma, gastrointestinal, pancreatic, esophageal, liver, thyroid, testicular, and bladder—as well as recurrent and secondary malignancies. Patient acquisition runs primarily through physician referrals, insurance authorizations, and hospital referrals (including UCSD Health), supplemented by self-referral intake. Revenue is generated on a professional services basis, with treatments billed per course, insurance facilitation handled by an internal team, and Medicare accepted alongside private payers.

Patient care is anchored by a multidisciplinary team led by Medical Director Dr. Carl Rossi, who has personally treated over 13,000 prostate cancer patients across 31 years, and Medical Director of Pediatrics Dr. Andrew Chang, who has treated more than 2,000 cancer patients across 18 years. The facility supports patients with adjunct services including oncology nutrition, SpaceOAR hydrogel placement for prostate cases, telemedicine consultations, insurance navigation, lodging coordination, and patient seminars with facility tours. Research activity runs through institutional partnerships with UCSD Health, PCG Research, NRG Oncology, and ECOG-ACRIN, supporting trials such as RADCOMP, KEYCHAIN, PREDICT-RT, and GUIDANCE.

Name

California Protons

Legal name

California Proton Therapy Center, LLC

Website

https://californiaprotons.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

California Protons is a single-site, San Diego-based proton radiation therapy center that uses intensity-modulated pencil beam scanning across five treatment rooms to treat solid tumor cancers—including prostate, breast, pediatric, head and neck, brain and spine, and lung—serving individual patients referred by physicians, hospitals, and insurers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Radiation Oncology / Proton Therapy Cancer Treatment

NAICS

Diagnostic Imaging Centers (621512)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Radiation Oncology (HLAKAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Advanced Imaging & Specialty Radiology Centers (PET/CT, Nuclear Medicine, Interventional Radiology) (HLAFAKAB)

Keywords

• Proton radiation therapy
• Radiation oncology
• Cancer treatment center
• Pencil beam scanning
• Oncology services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Proton Radiation Therapy Treatment Services: The organization generates revenue through providing proton radiation therapy treatment services to cancer patients. Treatments are billed per session or per treatment course. The organization accepts Medicare and works with private insurance companies. Insurance coverage is facilitated through an internal insurance team that assists patients with verification and pre-authorization.
2. Patient Care Services: Revenue is generated through comprehensive cancer care services including radiation oncologist consultations, treatment planning, actual proton therapy delivery, and follow-up care. Additional support services include nutrition services, telemedicine consultations, and patient navigation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

California Protons operates a proton radiation therapy cancer treatment center in San Diego, delivering intensity-modulated pencil beam scanning treatments through the Varian Probeam Proton System across five treatment rooms. The center serves patients diagnosed with a wide range of solid tumors—including prostate, breast, pediatric, brain and spine, head and neck, lung, gastrointestinal, and recurrent cancers—offering consultations, treatment planning, proton therapy delivery, and follow-up care. Complementary services include telemedicine consultations, oncology nutrition services, SpaceOAR hydrogel placement, clinical trial enrollment, and insurance navigation support.

Product overview

California Protons Cancer Therapy Center offers a comprehensive proton therapy treatment platform centered on its intensity-modulated pencil beam scanning technology, delivered through the Varian Probeam Proton System across five treatment rooms (three gantry rooms and two fixed beam rooms). The center provides proton radiation therapy as its core cancer treatment offering, supported by advanced Cone Beam CT imaging for precise tumor targeting, and complemented by patient support services including telemedicine consultations, nutrition services, SpaceOAR hydrogel procedures, clinical trials, insurance navigation, and educational seminars. The cyclotron generates approximately 5 trillion protons per second to power treatments for multiple cancer types including prostate, breast, pediatric, brain/spine, lung, head/neck, and lymphoma.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Proton Therapy Advanced radiation cancer treatment using intensity-modulated pencil beam proton therapy to precisely target tumors while sparing surrounding healthy tissue and organs. Delivered across five treatment rooms (three gantries plus two fixed beam rooms) using the Varian Probeam Proton System. Indicated for solid tumors including prostate, breast, pediatric, brain and spine, head and neck, lung, gastrointestinal, lymphoma, sarcoma, thyroid, testicular, and recurrent/secondary cancers.
• Telemedicine Consultations Remote consultations and follow-up appointments delivered via video conference, enabling patient evaluation without travel and reducing burden for out-of-area and international patients considering or completing proton therapy at California Protons.
• Oncology Nutrition Services Oncology nutrition counseling including personalized dietary planning, weekly patient consultations during treatment, and nutrition support groups to help patients maintain health during and after proton therapy.
• SpaceOAR Hydrogel Placement Hydrogel placement procedure for prostate cancer patients that protects nearby organs (e.g., rectum) during radiation treatment, minimizing damage to surrounding tissues.
• Clinical Trials Multi-cancer clinical trials including Phase II proton therapy for partial breast irradiation (PCG Research), KEYCHAIN (radiotherapy with pembrolizumab for head and neck cancer with UCSD), RADCOMP (proton vs photon therapy for non-metastatic breast cancer), PREDICT-RT and GUIDANCE (prostate cancer, NRG Oncology), RADIATE-LM (leptomeningeal metastasis, NRG Oncology), EA3191 (adjuvant pembrolizumab post head and neck resection, ECOG-ACRIN), COMPRO, and the Proton and Photon Consortium Registry.
• Patient Seminars and Tours Free educational events at the San Diego center where radiation oncologists explain proton therapy, former patients share their treatment experiences, and attendees tour the treatment rooms. Designed as a mid-funnel patient education and trust-building mechanism.
• Patient Portal Online portal allowing patients to access medical records, appointment information, and communicate with their care team at California Protons.
• Insurance Navigation Assistance with insurance coverage verification, pre-authorization, appeals, lodging coordination, and navigation through the insurance process for patients seeking proton therapy at the center.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of prostate cancer patients treated with proton therapy have not suffered recurrence
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PCG ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCG Research serves as a clinical research partner for multiple proton therapy clinical trials at California Protons. Dr. James Urbanic serves as Site Principal Investigator for breast cancer trials including Phase II Protocol of Proton Therapy for Partial Breast Irradiation.
• UCSD HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia Protons collaborates with UCSD Health on clinical trials including KEYCHAIN (Phase II Randomized Trial of Radiotherapy with Pembrolizumab for Head and Neck Cancer) and RADCOMP (Pragmatic Phase III Randomized Trial of Proton vs. Photon Therapy for Non-metastatic Breast Cancer).
• NRG OncologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia Protons participates in NRG Oncology clinical trials including PREDICT-RT for high-risk prostate cancer, GUIDANCE for intermediate-risk prostate cancer, and RADIATE-LM for leptomeningeal metastasis.
• ECOG-ACRINminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia Protons participates in ECOG-ACRIN clinical trial EA3191, a Phase II Randomized Trial of Adjuvant Therapy with Pembrolizumab after Resection of Recurrent/Second Primary Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center: MD Anderson Cancer Center operates one of the largest and most established proton therapy programs in the US, offering pencil beam scanning across multiple treatment rooms within a comprehensive cancer hospital. Directly competes with California Protons for complex cancer cases and physician referrals.
• Mayo Clinic Proton Beam Therapy Program: Mayo Clinic's Rochester and Arizona campuses operate multi-room proton therapy centers embedded in a comprehensive oncology program. Competes for high-acuity patients, clinical trial enrollment, and physician referrals across the same indications California Protons treats.
• Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy: Operated by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center / UW Medicine consortium, offering proton therapy within a comprehensive cancer care network. Competes with California Protons for complex and academic clinical trial cases, particularly on the West Coast.
• Penn Medicine Roberts Proton Therapy Center: Perelman School of Medicine's proton therapy facility offering pencil beam scanning for similar solid tumor indications. Competes for academic referrals, clinical trial enrollment, and complex pediatric and head/neck cases.
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Operates a proton therapy facility within one of the nation's leading comprehensive cancer centers. Competes for complex cases and physician referrals across many of the same indications California Protons treats.

Direct peers

• Northwestern Medicine Proton Center: Freestanding proton therapy center affiliated with Northwestern Medicine, offering pencil beam scanning for the same set of solid tumor indications. Direct competitor for regional referrals, particularly for breast and pediatric cases.
• University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute: One of the first dedicated proton therapy facilities in the US and a high-volume center for prostate, breast, head/neck, and pediatric cancers. Directly comparable in scale and patient mix to California Protons.
• Provision CARES Proton Therapy: Provision Healthcare operates freestanding proton therapy centers (Knoxville and previously elsewhere) using pencil beam scanning technology for similar cancer indications. Closest direct competitor in business model as a private, dedicated proton center.
• Ackerman Cancer Center: Jacksonville-based private proton therapy center offering pencil beam scanning alongside conventional radiation. Closely comparable in private-practice, freestanding business model and patient mix to California Protons.
• Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute: Mid-Atlantic proton therapy center with strong pediatric oncology focus; Dr. Chang previously led pediatric programs here. Competes for pediatric and adult proton cases in a similar service model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CancerProtons

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about California Protons