Department News

Department of Radiation Oncology celebrates treatment of 500th proton patient

Jeffrey D. Bradley, MD, the S. Lee Kling Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology and medical director of the S. Lee Kling Center for Proton Therapy, addresses the audience at a celebration honoring the treatment of the center’s 500th patient.

The Department of Radiation Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine recently celebrated their treatment of the 500th patient at the S. Lee Kling Center for Proton Therapy.

The S. Lee Kling Center for Proton Therapy, which opened in late 2013, is the first single-room proton therapy facility in the country, and the first and only proton center in Missouri. Since the center opened, patients from around the country have travelled to St. Louis to receive care there.

“It’s exciting to have reached 500 patients since the opening of the S. Lee Kling Proton Therapy Center in December 2013. This is a remarkable achievement, and I’m thankful to all of the faculty, staff, and others who have contributed to this effort,” said Jeffrey Bradley, MD, the S. Lee Kling Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology and medical director of the proton center.

A celebration hosted by The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital acknowledging this milestone was held at the Center for Advanced Medicine in late October. The event featured a short program of speakers, including a past patient, Dr. Jeffrey Bradley, and Lee Kling, son of the late S. Lee Kling, for whom the center is named. Mr. Kling was instrumental in bringing proton therapy to St. Louis and the surrounding area after he traveled to Boston to undergo this treatment for a hard-to-reach eye tumor. Guests at the celebration included radiation oncology and proton center team members, as well as donors to the S. Lee Kling Endowed Chair in Radiation Oncology, held by Dr. Bradley.