Proton Therapy

Battling Cancer has discussed proton therapy before but did you know that Loma Linda University Medical Center has the nation’s first hospital-based proton treatment center for cancer?

Check out this video on the James M. Slater, M.D. Proton Treatment and Research Center:

A refresher on proton therapy from the Center:

Proton therapy delivers a beam of energy sufficient to reach the deepest tumors in patients. Proton treatment is notably valuable for treating localized, isolated, solid tumors before they spread to other tissues and to the rest of the body.

Additionally: Protons release most of their energy when they hit the tumor and deliver no exit dose beyond the tumor boundary. Therefore, the dose of radiation conforms to the tumor better and there is less damage to healthy tissue. As a result, the treating physician can give an even greater dose to the tumor while minimizing unwanted side effects. This is especially important when treating children, because it reduces radiation to growing and developing tissues.

Source: Radiology Info

Proton therapy is used to treat tumors of the

• Lung
• Prostate
• Brain
• Head and neck
• Eye Tumors

The National Association for Proton Therapy is the “resource center for cancer patients and their families, physicians and health care providers, academic medical centers, cancer centers, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other federal health care agencies, members of Congress and staff, and the nation’s news media.”

They provide a comprehensive fact sheet on their site.

Locations of proton therapy sites in the United States:

Resources:

Proton Therapy and Radiosurgery