Advanced technology delivering better life outcomes

What is proton therapy?

Proton beam therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy. It irradiates a whole tumour but is able to limit the dose to surrounding normal tissues, which may mean there is potential for less normal tissue damage. This, in turn, means fewer long term side effects and a better quality of life for patients.

Radiation is an extremely effective resource for attacking cancer cells. However, as well as damaging cancerous tissue, radiation can also damage normal tissue and where possible this should be avoided.

How does proton therapy work?

Traditional radiotherapy uses ‘photon’ beams as opposed to ‘proton’ beams. Both are different forms of ionising radiation, and both work by damaging cancer cells so that they cannot reproduce and will eventually die.

There is however a key difference between the two: Photon beams (conventional radiation) will travel through the body come out (exit) on the other side, whereas proton beams stop at a certain depth inside tissue which is how it is possible to treat the tumour but limit the dose received by surrounding normal tissues.

Advancing the radiotherapy revolution

There are several important benefits of having proton beam therapy:

While it is not a universal cure-all, the added precision that this form of radiation offers makes it particularly effective for children with cancer and for treating tumours in places where they are difficult to treat because they are near critical organs such as the lungs, the heart and the brain.

By decreasing the amount of irradiated tissue, proton beam therapy can help reduce the risks of second cancers caused by radiation later in life for children and young adults requiring radiation.

The superior accuracy of proton beam therapy means that for some tumours it is possible to deliver higher radiation doses, which may improve long-term control of the tumour, and so increase cure rates.  

Without the exiting radiation dose, protons can deliver radiation with less impact on surrounding healthy tissues and organs – which in turn can result in fewer long-term side effects and an improved quality of life.