Understanding Cancer Treatment: Proton Therapy

The "big C" is a scary word, whether its happening to you or a loved one. Even with treatable cancers, it can all seem so overwhelming. Sometimes, understanding more about what's going on can help make everything more manageable.

One type of treatment that the doctors might be discussing is proton therapy. Proton therapy is a type of radiation treatment which uses a proton beam to irradiate the diseased areas. This damages the DNA of those cells, ultimately killing them or at least stopping them from making more diseased cells.

The biggest advantage proton therapy has over other types of radiation therapy is its low levels of side effects on neighboring tissues. The beam of protons has a very specific and tight width, which ensures the radiation effects stay on the tumor and do not go into the rest of the body. The protons stay in the area and depth at which they are aimed.

Additionally, the beam of protons delivers much less energy going through the body than it does to the point of "impact", the tumor. The maximum amount of energy delivered by the proton beam is only a few millimeters thick, again helping to contain the effects of the radiation to the tumor. This avoids irradiating and damaging healthy tissue.

The deeper inside the body the tumor is, the more energy is required to irradiate it. Since the area of maximum energy delivered is so small, treatment usually consists of multiple beams of protons adjusted so that the entire tumor is irradiated at once. If only a single beam was used, a larger tumor could be treated only in slices.

Certain types of cancer respond better to proton therapy than to conventional types of radiation therapy. These types of cancer include skull and spinal tumors and ocular tumors. It is especially beneficial in the case of ocular tumors because it is less likely to cause serious or permanent damage to the eyeball. This can save someone's eyesight and is a very valuable improvement over other types of treatment.

Radiation treatment with protons sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi novel, but it is very real. It doesn't have to be scary. In fact, if your doctor suggests that it might be right for you or your loved one, you should strongly consider their suggestion. As shown, there are many reasons why using protons is a better way to give radiation therapy.