Evidence is conntinuing to build around the benefits of proton therapy as the safest and most-effective means of treating cancer.
According to Proton Therapy UK (PT UK), the London-based branch of the state-of-the-art Proton Therapy Center (PTC) in Prague, proton therapy can bring significant benefits in treating a wide range of cancers including cancers of the head, neck, eye and brain, lung cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic and liver cancer, lymphoma and gastrointestinal tumours.
In some cases, proton therapy can also be used to treat palliative care patients.
Proton therapy is a safer form of cancer treatment than conventional radiotherapy. It is less toxic, supports better quality of life during the treatment process, and enables patients to return to a normal life immediately after it
Significant benefits are also evident in the treatment of children. 80% of children's cancers are now curable and proton therapy significantly reduces side effects as well as reducing the risk of permanent disability.
The PTC is headed up by Professor Manfred Herbst, a radiation specialist with many years of clinical experience in proton therapy, which he helped to pioneer.
He said: “Proton therapy is a safer form of cancer treatment than conventional radiotherapy. It is less toxic, supports better quality of life during the treatment process, and enables patients to return to a normal life immediately after it. This is a major new development in radiotherapy and we believe it will be the only way to go in the future.”
Proton therapy demonstrates major benefits in treating a range of cancers in adults as well as children. In brain cancer, for example, it reduces radiation to surrounding sensitive brain tissues by up to 50%, while significantly cutting the risk of developing secondary tumours. In treating prostate cancer, the approach reduces radiation exposure to healthy tissue by more than 60% compared with conventional photon radiotherapy.
Key benefits include:
- Improves protection of lungs and breathing by 60%
- Preserves fitness and vitality by up to 75%
- Reduces radiation to surrounding sensitive tissues
- Reduces risk of developing secondary tumours
- In most cases there is no need for hospitalisation
- Minimal side effects in comparison to conventional forms of radiotherapy
Many of the benefits of proton therapy stem from the accuracy of the approach. The protons are controlled to release their cancer-fighting energy precisely within tumours. Whereas a conventional radiotherapy beam destroys healthy tissue as it passes all the way through the body, protons release the bulk of their energy at the tumour site. Proton therapy therefore has minimal to no side effects when compared with conventional forms of radiotherapy – and the therapy itself is painless.
For these reasons, the NHS has recognised the benefits of proton therapy and has plans to build centres in the UK in the future.