What is proton beam therapy?

Proton beam therapy has been discussed widely in the media in recent days. This is due to the controversy surrounding the treatment of a young boy called Ashya King, who has medulloblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Ashya was reportedly taken abroad by his parents to receive proton beam therapy. But what does proton beam therapy involve, and can it treat cancer effectively?   How does proton beam therapy work? Proton beam therapy is a type of radiotherapy. Conventional radiotherapy uses high energy beams of radiation to destroy cancerous cells, but surrounding tissue can also be damaged. This can lead to side effects such as nausea, and can sometimes disrupt how some organs function. Proton beam therapy uses beams of protons (sub-atomic particles) to achieve the same cell-killing effect. A "particle accelerator" is used to speed up the protons. These accelerated protons are then beamed into cancerous cells, killing them. Unlike conventional radiotherapy, in proton beam therapy the beam of protons stops once it "hits" the cancerous cells. This means that proton beam therapy results in much less damage to surrounding tissue.   Who can benefit from proton beam therapy? Proton beam therapy is useful for treating types of cancer in critical areas – when it is important to reduce damage to surrounding tissue as much as possible. For example, it is used most often to treat brain tumours in young children whose brains are still developing. Proton bea...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer QA articles Source Type: news