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A new option for cancer treatment: Is proton therapy really more effective than photon therapy?
In the field of cancer treatment, proton therapy is gaining more and more attention as an emerging radiotherapy option. The advantages of proton therapy compared to traditional photon therapy are its greater precision and less damage to healthy tissue. Proton therapy, which targets tumors using beams of positively charged protons that release radiation only at specific depths as it passes through the body, is forcing doctors to rethink what is the most effective treatment for cancer patients.
Proton therapy allows doctors to target tumors more precisely and reduce radiation damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
Mechanism of proton therapy
The basic principle of proton therapy is to irradiate tumors with proton beams generated by particle accelerators. These charged particles will destroy the DNA of cancer cells, thereby inhibiting the reproduction of cancer cells and eventually leading to their death. Cancer cells are particularly susceptible to attacks on DNA because of their rapid growth and limited ability to repair DNA damage. Advances in proton therapy allow doctors to deliver radiation therapy precisely to the shape and depth of tumors, minimizing radiation dose to adjacent healthy tissue.
This "targeted" radiation method protects other vital organs of the body, thereby reducing side effects during treatment.
Technical advantages of proton therapy
The unique technical characteristics of proton therapy enable it to reduce the total body radiation dose by 50%-60%. This is due to the "Bragg peak" effect of its radiation. Protons typically exert their strongest radiation effect only in the last few millimeters close to their depth, thus preventing unnecessary radiation from reaching further surrounding normal tissue.
Different forms of proton therapy
There are multiple transportation methods for proton therapy, the most advanced is Pencil Beam Scanning. This technology enables greater flexibility in dose distribution and allows radiation therapy to better adapt to the shape of the tumor by scanning a proton beam laterally across the tumor. Compared with earlier passive scattering technologies, pencil beam scanning not only provides more precise dose distribution, but also greatly reduces the impact on normal tissue.
Application scope of proton therapy
Proton therapy has been widely used in the treatment of a variety of cancers, including eye tumors, children's tumors, head and neck cancer, and certain types of prostate cancer. Particularly in the treatment of childhood cancers, proton therapy has been shown to reduce acute toxicity and potential long-term harm associated with the long-term side effects of traditional radiation therapy.
Proton therapy is regarded as the "gold standard" for the treatment of eye tumors, fully demonstrating its ability to protect surrounding sensitive structures.
Challenges and future of proton therapy
Although proton therapy receives extensive evidence support for its accuracy and effectiveness, several challenges remain when comparing it to photon therapy. For example, results in some studies have shown that proton therapy is less effective than expected in the long term in some cancers, particularly in the case of prostate cancer, and the divergence of data from studies has complicated the medical community's view of its optimal options.
Conclusion
Proton therapy, as a new type of cancer treatment, is gradually changing the treatment prospects for cancer patients. Its highly targeted nature and low-dose properties undoubtedly bring hope to many patients. However, more clinical data are still needed to verify whether this treatment modality has any advantages over traditional photon therapy. And where will future cancer treatment technologies and methods develop?
