Proton Therapy - Fact Sheet

Precision

• Most precise form of radiation treatment available today.
  
• Destroys primary tumor site, leaves surrounding healthy tissue and organs intact and unharmed.
  

Non-invasive

• Is non-invasive and painless.
  
• Maintains a patient’s quality-of life during treatment process as an out-patient.
  
• Patients continue with normal activities during treatment.
  

Reduce Side-effects

• Avoids the usual side effects of standard x-ray radiation.
  
• Highly effective treatment for wide range of localized tumors in head and neck area, lung, prostate, bladder, spinal cord, gastro malignancies, ocular tumors, and others.
  
• Working on treating breast cancer with small protocols utilizing a new scanning technique.
  
• Women with breast cancer can avoid damage to lungs and surrounding breast tissue.

Combination of Treatments

• Protons can be used in conjunction with other cancer treatment modalities such as chemotherapy.
  
• Treatment time can take from one day for certain conditions or up to eight weeks (prostate cancer) depending on tumor sites.

Preferred Form of Treatment

• Highly preferred radiation treatment modality option for pediatric cases because children are susceptible to injury from standard x-ray radiation as their tissues and organs are growing rapidly.
  
• Children don’t have to be subjected to needless exposure from damaging radiation.

Growing Population of Treated Patients

• As of mid-2009, nearly 25,000 patients treated in U.S. and approximately 50,000 patients world-wide.
  
• First hospital-based proton center opened in 1990 at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
  
• Currently operating proton centers are treating 150-200 patients daily.
  
• Reimbursement - Proton Therapy is covered by Medicare and nearly all health care insurance providers.