Proton therapy lowers risk of side effects in cancer compared to traditional radiation

Eureka Alert ^ | 12/26/2019 | University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

[aimhigh]

Proton therapy leads to significantly lower risk of side effects severe enough to lead to unplanned hospitalizations for cancer patients when compared with traditional radiation, while cure rates between the two groups are almost identical. The findings come from an expanded analysis of the largest review of its kind, performed by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, to evaluate whether or not patients undergoing radiation therapy at the same time as chemotherapy experienced serious adverse events within 90 days. Researchers found proton therapy reduces the relative risk of these side effects by two-thirds.

[proust]

But Chemo is a jobs program.

“One industry analyst put the size of the global chemotherapy market at $97 billion in 2017.”

[HartleyMBaldwin]

How about proton energy pills?

[HangnJudge]

High LET (Linear Energy Transfer) radiation, causes relatively less “skin burn” due to deeper dose buildup from proton recoils.

[Cold War Veteran - Submarines]

While I am sure there are abuses with a market share that big, I can tell you from personal experience watching several friends go through Chemo and beat cancer. I hope and pray that better, less intense treatments appear but the cancer death sentence of when I was growing up has, to some extent, abated. I wish nobody to have to go through that but I am heartened that the success rates are climbing.

[sissyjane]

My husband had proton beam radiation for prostate cancer six years ago in Loma Linda. We stayed there for three months. They did everything to help us medically and otherwise. Housing and everything.

[dearolddad]

I just finished(two weeks ago) a round of Chemo and Proton Beam therapy at Loma Linda Medical Center in Califorina.
The only side effects I have experienced at this point is fatigue and some moderate hair loss.

[Yaelle]

One day we will look back on chemo as being the toxic primitive treatment it is. But we don’t have a ton of alternatives and “medicine” focuses only on pharmaceuticals (other than structural treatments like surgery and bone muscle repairs).

[seawolf101]

[HartleyMBaldwin]

I’m glad to hear it went well. Best wishes going forward.

[Pontiac]

The only side effects I have experienced at this point is fatigue and some moderate hair loss.

Both of those side effects are most likely from the Chemo and not the Proton Therapy.

The Proton beam should be very narrow and have mostly localized effects.

Does the picture at the article show the type of machine that they used?

[Mr Ramsbotham]

“One industry analyst put the size of the global chemotherapy market at $97 billion in 2017.”

Not surprising, since for many cancer sufferers, that's all there is, bad though it may be. Seeing my wife endure it (with stage 4 breast cancer) all I can think of one's options is that it's a choice between a quick nasty death and a slow nasty death.

[dearolddad]

At LLMC he machines were referred to as Gantrys.
All of my treatments were carried out in Gantry 1.
The machine I was treated in looked somewhat similar to the one in the picture.

[HangnJudge]

Beats the old Cobalt-60 units

[chuckles]

I had my prostrate cancer treated at Houston MD Anderson with Proton therapy 7 years ago. No side effects besides a sunburn on my hips. Just had my PSA of .2 for the 7th year and a colonoscopy is clear except for diverticulitis and a prolapsed hemorrhoid. My brother had radiation at a clinic and died 2 years ago with bone and lung cancer. He had to wear diapers for bowel and urinary incontinence. Proton therapy is hands down the right choice if you can make that choice. They will tell you if the cancer has spread it's less effective, but I saw a man that had throat cancer that had spread to his chest that got treated with proton and normal radiation and chemo. He's still alive 7 years later and didn't lose his jaw as the "Experts" predicted back in Alabama. Proton therapy is used for much more than just prostate cancer. Children with brain tumors, leg and arm tumors, kidneys, livers, and more might be available for treatment.

I will say this,....my doctor was Dr.Lee, who actually wrote the software for the machine. He was a pioneer for Proton Therapy. He has since moved to Dallas and my doctor now, I don't even know. I don't want to speak ill of anyone, but losing Dr Lee was a big loss for the Houston program IMO. Still, Proton Therapy has to be the number one choice for anyone who can get it.

[Hemingway's Ghost]

But Chemo is a jobs program.

Sweet. It's keeping me above ground, instead of below it.

[exDemMom]

I am very thankful that I did not need to have intense chemo—I take a single pill daily. But I would not recommend that cancer patients who need it skip it just because some pharma companies are making a profit.

Why are you against people making a profit for providing life-saving medications to desperately ill people?

[bk1000]

While researching the various options for prostate cancer treatment, I looked in to proton therapy. I was told that photon radiation along with internal radiation was indicated in my case. They were offering proton therapy alone for older patients. I couldn’t bring myself to go through surgery due to the recovery, and I didn’t want the “seeds” (LDR) left inside me if it could be helped. I chose HDR for the internal portion followed by five weeks of daily radiation. No side effects that a daily Flowmax can’t handle, and my PSA is dropping like a rock. I was interested in proton therapy as it was reported to cause less damage to other organs in that area. I elected to have a spaceOAR implant to isolate the prostate and it seems to have done its job. Things aren’t like they were for me back in the day, but I am still more or less “functional” at 62. I am thrilled there is continuing progress in this field.

[Salvey]

Proton Therapy has to be the number one choice

How does Proton compare with fractionated stereotactic radiosurgery?

[neverevergiveup]

Proton therapy is definitely better, but insurance companies have been resistant to paying for it - citing lack of enough data. The problem is that the complications of radiation therapy can take many years to manifest, so doing the studies to prove what is generally known from preclinical studies takes decades-long follow up. It's not fair to patients. The complications from mantle radiation for Hodgkin's disease can be terrible, including coronary disease, valvular disease, pneumonitis with fibrosis, and secondary malignancies. Proton therapy is much more exacting, and thus less likely to cause these complications.