The advantages of proton therapy

Proton therapy is a type of special treatment indicated for treating tumours that have developed near critical organs or delicate structures like the brain, heart, or spinal cord.

Unlike the x-rays used in conventional radiation therapy, protons can be controlled to make sure the radiation hits the tumour cells with extreme precision, safeguarding the healthy tissue surrounding them.

This accuracy can be particularly advantageous for both patients with recurring tumours, especially those who have had a previous radiation treatment, and those who have a high long-term survival probability. The risk of tumours being induced by the treatment with protons is less than with conventional radiation therapy.

Questa accuratezza può rivelarsi particolarmente vantaggiosa sia per i pazienti che presentano tumori recidivati, soprattutto per coloro che hanno subito un precedente trattamento radiante, sia per quelli che hanno un'alta probabilità di sopravvivenza a lungo termine. Il rischio di tumori indotti dal trattamento con protoni è inferiore a quello della radioterapia convenzionale.

Thanks to the precision with which the proton radiation can be controlled, proton therapy is an effective therapy with less toxic effects than radiation therapy with x-rays.

Therefore, the negative consequences and harmful effects that it can have on other organs or their functions is much lower compared to those that may be caused by radiation with x-rays. For this reason, proton therapy is easier to use in combination with chemotherapy as a post-surgery treatment or in re-irradiation after standard radiation therapy with x-rays.

The precision of proton beam therapy saves the healthy tissues adjacent to the part of the body in which the tumour developed. This means a lower probability of secondary radiation-induced tumours or those that can occur even many years after radiation treatment.  

Proton therapy is a particularly useful treatment in the case of childhood tumours. Since a child’s body is continuously growing, it is more sensitive to x-rays, more affected by their toxicity, and more prone to undesired side effects.

The results of specific clinical studies have shown how proton therapy decreases the risk of growth defects and developmental problems along with the occurrence of secondary tumours.

Proton therapy is a particularly useful treatment in the case of childhood tumours. Since a child’s body is continuously growing, it is more sensitive to x-rays, more affected by their toxicity, and more prone to undesired side effects.

The results of specific clinical studies have shown how proton therapy decreases the risk of growth defects and developmental problems along with the occurrence of secondary tumours.