Cancer Treatment Progress is Proton Therapy
When it comes to cancer, we know a heck of a lot more than we used to. We know how to detect a good number of cancers in their early stages and how to put patients into cancer treatment therapy programs that give them a hopeful outcome. Compared to a generation ago, the progress that has been made is clearly exciting.
One of the great breakthroughs in cancer treatment therapy is proton treatment. Proton therapy is a treatment regimen that works differently than conventional radiation. With conventional radiation therapy, the radiation continues in the tissue beyond the cancer-affected areas. This means that it can go to the heart and lungs, damaging them as a result of trying to kill the cancer cells. In other words, there is a great deal of collateral damage.
With proton therapy, the radiation goes to the targeted area, stopping at a very specific point in the targeted tissue. This means that there is, on average, no radiation to the heart and, on average, about half the radiation to the lungs when compared to conventional radiation treatment. With proton therapy, the radiation dose to the gastrointestinal structures is decreased by just under 60% when you compare it to X-rays.
Cancer proton therapy is typically scheduled about four to six weeks after surgery or chemotherapy treatments; it lasts around six total weeks. Proton therapy for breast cancer is really exciting news for those who have received the very scary diagnosis of cancer. Many women who have dealt with breast cancer have had to undergo treatment procedures that have resulted in significant problems in other areas of their bodies, and their recovery has been slow and long. Cancer treatment therapy with proton radiation can be more effective, less painful, and less taxing on the body.
Advanced cancer treatment options are not only for breast cancer sufferers, however. Treatment of prostate cancer is also being done with proton therapy. It is a relatively new cancer treatment for prostate cancer sufferers, but it has already shown significant results. There are also many advantages over conventional cancer therapies when it comes to the prostate.
It is the proton radiation’s accuracy that is the most impressive. This accuracy gives the doctor control when adapting treatment to specific cases. It can make the treatment non-invasive and a much lower risk for the patient.
For prostate cancer sufferers, cancer treatment therapy using the proton therapy model involves using a very focused ray of proton particles that virtually destroy tissues that are cancerous. The high doses of radiation are precisely beamed to target cancer cells without causing the damage to healthy tissues that surround the prostate.
In our modern world, we have yet to find a cure for cancer. However, tremendous strides have been made in the treatment of cancer. One of these amazing strides has been taken by the use of proton therapy.
Who knows? Maybe one day we will have one. The more progress we make, the closer we will get to that elusive cure.
