Linear Accelerator Proton Beam Emitter
Radiation therapy, given in higher doses, can control many cancers. However, due to this method's inability to conform to a specific irradiation pattern, tissues that surround cancerous cells may suffer damage. This fact alone forces many physicians to use less than the desired dose of radiation to minimize damage and side effects. With proton beam therapy, however, full or higher doses are used to treat prostate and other cancers.
Proton Treatment
According to the National Association of Proton Therapy, more than 200 thousand men are diagnosed with prostrate cancer each year. Before proton therapy was available, there were only two choices that were primarily considered for prostate cancer treatments: conventional radiation or surgery to remove the prostate.
Proton therapy is a highly precise delivery method using radiation. Proton therapy has proven to be highly effective in treating the prostate without the real dangers of conventional radiation or the drastic measure of surgically removing the prostate. Since 2001, proton therapy has proven to be the most effective treatment available for prostate cancer that has not metastasized (spread outside the prostate).
The procedure is performed on an outpatient basis. The usual length of treatment is approximately five to seven weeks. Time spent in the treatment area is about 20 minutes. The actual treatment itself last only one minute or so.
There is no pain associated with the proton beam itself, although some minor side effects may occur but are usually mild in comparison to conventional radiation. Common side effects may include skin reactions at the site of proton entry, fatigue and hair loss.
History
The Proton Treatment and Research Center at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, had was dedicated in December of 2007 to a physicist who thought that subatomic particles could cure cancer. The center, now called the James A. Slater, M.D., Proton Treatment and Research Center at Loma Linda University, opened its doors in 1990 to a new perspective and vision for the future of cancer treatment. This center was the first of its kind in the United States of America.
Tags: conventional radiation, Loma Linda, Proton Treatment, side effects, Center Loma
