Proton Therapy?

[Guest hearrean]

Has anyone on this forum either had or know someone who has had Proton Therapy treament for lung cancer or "Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy" and what the key diffences might be?

Ken

[Don M]

I don’t know of anyone that has had proton therapy, but had looked into it at one time. I found that I could not have it because I had prior radiation at the site.

They use different energy sources. Proton therapy uses protons and intensity modulated radiation therapy (imrt) uses x-rays and is just usual radiation therapy except the beam is shaped and it targets a tumor and nothing else. Proton therapy is very expensive. It also targets the tumor and nothing else. There are just 3 of them in the usa. There are many imrt machines. They would be at just about any cancer center and it is much cheaper. I think they both have the same outcome in terms of successful treatment.

You could go to the cyberknife message board and ask the radiation oncologists there about the 2 therapies. They will give a brief answer.

http://www.cyberknifesupport.org/forum/

Don M

[Guest hearrean]

Thanks for the response. I just posted my question over on the CK site. In the meantime, do you know, by any chance, which treatment would have the least side affects?

Ken

[Don M]

maybe proton therapy would have the least side effects, but I am not sure. you can get some lung tissue loss from imrt, but not a lot. It would show up as scar tissue after treatment.

Don M

[john]

BTW. Have you asked the Drs if you will ever be a candidate for surgery.

Proton beams have distinct physical advantages over conventional radiotherapy (x-rays) in the way the dose is deposited within the body. X-ray beams deposit the maximum dose within a few centimeters of the skin surface proximal to the intended target and continue to irradiate tissues beyond the region targeted for treatment. Tumors centrally located in the body typically receive 60 to 70% of the total dose administered with each individual x-ray beam. This is an inherent physical property of individual x-ray beams and cannot be altered despite sophisticated treatment delivery techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy. Proton beams, however, deliver approximately 50% of the dose proximal to the target, while 100% is delivered to the target region. The beam stops at the distal margin of the targeted region and all tissues beyond this area receive no dose. This stopping place can be made to occur at any depth within the patient and can be shaped to match the target area. Aerated lung tissue is less dense than other soft tissues of the body, and thus the stopping region of protons in pulmonary tissue is less precise than with other body treatments. Despite this difference, proton therapy has the potential to spare larger portions of lung tissue compared to x-rays. A review of the dosimetry of proton therapy in lung tissue with implications to treatment planning is provided by Moyers et al.4 These physical properties allow proton beams to deliver maximal dosages of radiotherapy to targets within the body while minimizing the dose delivered to surrounding healthy tissues.56 Proton beam radiotherapy has proven its efficacy in patients with tumors that require high doses of radiotherapy while simultaneously requiring limited doses to nearby critical structures, such as in the spine and the base of the skull.78

[dchurchi]

My Husband had IMRT to his brain tumor. The treatment

was very successful. Alan had the thearpy 2 years ago

and tumor has never returned

[Dollfinn]

Same here, I dont know much at all about proton therapy. My husband had IMRT to his prostate, followed by seeds 2 yrs. ago and he is basically OK. He handled the radiation w/out a hitch. I had the IMRT 36 doses and my lung function is good.The side effects for me were short term. I am curious and I will keep following. Mary