Proton beam therapy cam have minimal effects in prostate cancer patients
November 3rd, 2009 Posted in radiation therapyAccording to a study presented November 2, 2009, at the American Society for Radiation Oncology’s 51st Annual Meeting in Chicago, proton beam therapy, a form of external beam radiation treatment, can be safely delivered to men with prostate cancer and has minimal urinary and rectal side effects.
Proton beam therapy uses protons rather than photons (X-rays) to treat certain types of cancer and other diseases. Due its physical characteristics, proton therapy beam allows the radiation oncologist to deliver more radiation to the tumor with less radiation to nearby healthy tissues.
This therapy is becoming more popular as a prostate cancer treatment, but it is unclear at this point whether the long-term outcomes with proton therapy will be better than those achieved with other treatments. This study shows that early tolerance of proton therapy has been excellent and prostate cancer patients can receive it with a very low likelihood of compromised urinary or rectal function.