Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiotherapy that uses a single beam of high-energy protons to treat various forms of cancer. Different from conventional radiation therapy — in which beam energy dissipates as it passes through the body — proton beams can be fine-tuned with millimeters of accuracy to deliver maximum energy within the controlled range of the cancerous tumor.
Because of the nature of proton therapy treatments, patients receiving such treatment enjoy the following benefits:
- Significant decrease in collateral tissue damage
- Significant decrease in debilitating side effects, like toxicity-induced nausea or impotence
- Allows combination of radiation, chemotherapy and biologic treatments
- Improved pediatric outcomes
- Reduced impairment to brain function
- Decrease in secondary cancers from unnecessary radiation exposure
- Potential for significant cost savings by decreasing complications and secondary cancers
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