What is Proton Therapy

What is Proton Therapy?

Proton beam therapy is a sophisticated method of delivering radiation to attack cancerous tumors. The characteristics of the proton beam is different than x-ray, or photon radiation in its ability to control the release the majority of the energy at the end of the beam's path acting like a"smart bomb", unleashing its destructive forces at a precise point with less damage to the surrounding healthy tissues, including those along the beam's path to the tumor. This precision enabled a higher dose of radiation to be used on the tumor while causing less damage to healthy cells and structures.

The science of proton therapy

Both standard x-ray therapy and proton beams work on the same principle of selective cell destruction. All tissues are made up of molecules with atoms as their building blocks. In the center of every atom is the nucleus. Orbiting the nucleus of the atom are negatively charged electrons. When energized charged particles, such as protons or other forms of radiation, pass near orbiting electrons, the positive charge of the protons attracts the negatively charged electrons, pulling them out of their orbits. This is called ionization; it changes the characteristics of the atom and consequentially the character of the molecule within which the atom resides. This crucial change is the basis for the beneficial aspects of all forms of radiation therapy. Because of ionization, the radiation damages molecules within the cells, especially the DNA or genetic material. Damaging the DNA destroys specific cell functions, particularly the ability to divide or proliferate. Enzymes develop with the cells and attempt to rebuild the injured areas of the DNA; however, if damage from the radiation is too extensive, the enzymes fail to adequately repair the injury. While both normal and cancerous cells go through this repair process, a cancer cell's ability to repair molecular injury is frequently inferior. As a result, cancer cells sustain more permanent damage and subsequent cell death than occurs in the normal cell population. This permits selective destruction of bad cells growing among good cells.