Proton Beam Radiation Therapy

Posted by Anthony Lee Sep 3, 2008

In the last several years, proton beam radiation therapy has come along, claiming to be the next best thing in cancer treatment. Instead of x-rays, which can burn the target tumor but also surrounding healthy tissue, proton beam radiation therapy using an accelerator device to deliver a beam of positively-charged subatomic particles (protons), which destroys the tumor but spares the surrounding normal tissue. Such a theoretical benefit has gotten the attention of so many patients, including those with prostate cancer, lung cancer, brain tumors, and other types of cancer.

Even so, the majority of doctors are skeptical. The scientific evidence is currently insufficient to conclude that proton beam radiation therapy is superior to conventional x-ray therapy. Furthermore, the technology is very expensive. Implementation of proton beam radiation therapy costs at least $100 million, including expenses to build a facility that will accommodate the device. There are only a couple of centers around the world that offer this treatment. The United States alone has less than ten facilities offering proton beam therapy, including Loma Linda University (Loma Linda, CA), M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX), and Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA).

Given the lack of evidence and the cost, it is too early to tell whether this technology will become standard of care for treating cancer. Efforts are underway to develop smaller and cheaper devices, even as more medical centers plan to adopt the device in the years to come. Will proton beam radiation therapy supplant conventional radiation therapy? Only time will tell.