Proton Therapy for Breast Cancer: Getting to the Heart of the Matter

Proton therapy is an increasingly utilized radiation treatment alternative to photon (x-ray) therapy for malignancies of the breast. Despite a quiescent history of proton use for this disease, breast cancer is now commanding more attention from the proton community than perhaps any other malignancy. The reasons for this are many, some noble and patient-centered and some, perhaps, monetary. Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in American women (1). With a 5-year survival for all-comers estimated at 89%, and an approximate incidence of this disease at 230,000 women per year, we expect an approximate absolute number of 207,000 survivors at 5 years (2).
Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Source Type: research