What Are Possible Proton Therapy Side Effects? 

Proton therapy is one of radiation treatments for cancer patient. It is one of the most advanced treatment s in terms of technology and the most precise radiation treatment in modern day. It precisely radiates the target area only and keeps the surrounding healthy organs and tissues intact unlike conventional x ray which can radiate healthy areas of your organs and tissues. 

 

Conventional radiation therapy is confronted with daunting task from side effects, since quite high level of radiation is involved in both the entrance dose and the exit dose. On the other hand, proton therapy has hugely lower entrance dose of radiation and no exit dose at all. Therefore it causes much less damage to surrounding healthy tissues. 

 

When it comes to proton therapy side effects, it is generally very miner or even nothing at all. Even if you have proton therapy side effects, they are less in severity and fewer in number compared to other radio therapy or cancer treatments. 

 

Typical side effects from radiation therapy, such as skin reactions, tiredness, nausea, loss of appetite, diarrhoea and stiff joints and muscles, they are possible proton therapy side effects but  are greatly fewer and much more easily tolerated even if it happens.

 

So, why proton therapy has fewer side effects?  The reason for this is, because the traditional x ray therapy or radiation therapy for cancer treatments involves radiation exposure to healthy tissues and organs or surrounding area as well as the caner affected area and causing much greater negative effect in your whole body. Also as mentioned above, with other radiation treatment, larger dose of radiation is involved with both entrance and exit. 

 

 

On the other hand, with proton therapy the radiation doesn’t travel through your body unlike traditional radiation therapy. The radiation stops in the tissue at exact distance which was calculated. Therefore the radiation energy from proton therapy is predominantly deposited only in the cancer affected area and not in the surrounding area. This is why the healthy important organs and tissues in the surrounding area are protected from radiation and escape from damage, and result in less side effects.

 

As proton therapy has much lower chance of side effects, you can lead easier and better quality of life while you are treated and after the treatment as well. With lower risk of side effects and history of successful result, proton therapy is a great option for cancer treatment.

 

Still it is important to talk to your surgeon and radio therapist first and discuss about all the options and find out if the proton therapy is the best treatment for you.