ANA Discussion Forum

General Category => Inquiries => Topic started by: teripo on August 11, 2011, 04:43:55 am

Title: proton beam?
Post by: teripo on August 11, 2011, 04:43:55 am

Anyone heard of Proton Beam? From what I hear the therapy is more specific to the tumor.Not sure what these different radiation types are maybe,[photon vs.proton]?

Title: Re: proton beam?
Post by: Jim Scott on August 11, 2011, 01:58:54 pm

Teripo ~

This link to Wikipedia may help explain it.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_therapy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_therapy)

Jim

Title: Re: proton beam?
Post by: lholl36233 on August 11, 2011, 03:53:53 pm

Hi,

I had Proton Beam radiation at MGH for a temporal bone hemangioma.  I received radiation from 3 different angles resulting in 3 small bald spots that quickly grew back.  It is my understanding the radiation will only hit the tumor, sparing healthy areas close to it.

I have no regret.  I'd do it again.

Laura

Title: Re: proton beam?
Post by: TJ on August 11, 2011, 06:21:26 pm

I was told that Proton was what was big just before Cyberknife was invented.  I think Proton is more fractionated radiation with up to 30 treatments where Cyberknife is usually not and only 3-5 treatments.

TJ

Title: Re: proton beam?
Post by: PaulW on August 20, 2011, 04:08:59 pm

Proton Beam uses protons while Gammaknife, Cyberknife and LINAC use photons.
The advantage of proton beam is that they can control the depth of the beam.
The protons give up their energy at a pre programmed depth, causing little damage on the way in, offloading their energy payload into the tumour and no damage on the way out.
In theory at least Proton Therapy promises to be superior in treating many forms of tumour.
However in Acoustic Neuroma treatment, while the tumour is deactivated at very high rates, complications with the hearing and facial nerve, appear to be higher than gammaknife or Cyberknife. As technology progresses I am sure complication rates will fall.

Some intersting reading

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19054586

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12943574