Best Proton Therapy Treatment Centre in India - Proton Therapy

Posted by Thomas Shelby on June 8th, 2021

What is Proton Therapy ?

Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy — a treatment that uses high-energy beams to treat tumors. Radiation therapy using X-rays has long been used to treat cancers and noncancerous (benign) tumors. Proton therapy is a newer type of radiation therapy that uses energy from positively charged particles called protons. Therefore, a higher dose of radiation can be targeted at the tumour without affecting many normal healthy cells.

What types of cancer can be treated with Proton Therapy ?

Proton therapy can be effective in treating many types of tumours, such as
-->Brain & Central Nervous System
-->Breast
-->Esophageal
-->Head & Neck
-->Liver, Lung, Lymphomas
-->Ocular
-->Pediatric
-->Pancreatic
-->Prostate
-->Sarcomas
-->Skull & Axial Skeleton
--> Oropharynx Cancer
--> Salivary Gland cancers

What are the advantages of Proton Therapy Treatment ?

Proton Therapy has many advantages including:
--> Targets tumours and cancer cells with precision and minimal exit dose.
--> Reduces overall toxicity.
--> Reduces the probability and/or severity of short- and long-term side effects on surrounding healthy tissues and organs (e.g. reduces the likelihood of secondary tumours caused by treatment).
--> Precisely delivers an optimal radiation dose to the tumour.
--> Can be used to treat recurrent tumours, even in patients who have already received radiation. Improves quality of life during and after treatment.
--> Increases the long-term, progression-free survival rates for certain types of tumours.

Are there any side effects from Proton Therapy Treatment ?

-->Due to delivering lower radiation doses to surrounding healthy tissues and organs, side effects from proton therapy are typically minimal and less than standard radiation therapy treatments.

How safe is Proton Therapy ?

Proton therapy delivers a precise radiation treatment while destroying cancer cells and minimizing damage to healthy tissue. This reduces side effects and lessens the risk of developing complications from treatment in later life. We at APCC have treated patients with ages ranging from less than a year old to 85 years old, successfully and without treatment side effects. So, proton therapy is preferred because it is a safe treatment.

History of Proton Therapy

The advancements of proton technology as a treatment option for cancer began in the 1940s. The idea of using protons in medical treatment was first suggested in 1946 by physicist Robert R. Wilson, Ph.D. The first attempts to use proton radiation to treat patients began in the 1950s in nuclear physics research facilities, but applications were limited to a few areas of the body. In the late 1970s, imaging advancements coupled with the development of sophisticated computers and improved accelerator and treatment delivery technology made proton therapy more viable for routine medical applications, such as cancer treatment.

Only in recent years has it become possible to develop proton beam facilities in conjunction with established medical centres. Initially, proton therapy machines were designed so that a narrow beam of protons that emerges from the nozzle was then widened (scattered) and shaped to conform to the shape of the tumour, by custom-made accessories (collimators and compensators) which had to be mounted on the nozzle. This was called passively scattered proton therapy (PSPT). Earlier machines also had only X-rays placed perpendicular to each other to provide image guidance and so only bony anatomy could really be verified.