Scientists at a California proton research center are studying how proton therapy can be used to help relieve chronic pain -- particularly for U.S. military service members and veterans.
Scientists at the James M. Slater Proton Treatment and Research Center in Loma Linda plan to explore the targeting of painful nerve areas with proton-beam radiation to neutralize the brain's response to pain, the center said.
The center was established in 1990 and was the first hospital-based proton therapy facility in the world, according to Loma Linda University.
![A 53-year-old patient (patient number four) with a recurrent pituitary adenoma with extension of a cystic component of disease to the medial temporal lobe apparent on MRI (contoured in blue), and extension of disease to the left sphenoid bone and orbital apex apparent on [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-TATE (contoured in yellow).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/04/pituitary-tumor.QGsEnyB4bU.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
