Proton Therapy is a type of radiation treatment for cancer that is noninvasive. Unlike traditional radiation therapy, it has very limited negative side effects, making it easier for the patient to heal and recover. For this reason, proton therapy is considered the gold standard in treatments for childhood cancer, as well as one of the best prostate cancer options.

What is proton radiation therapy?
Cancer proton therapy uses a focused pencil of light to target the affected areas. Unlike traditional X-rays, it does much less damage to surrounding tissues and organs, greatly reducing the negative side effects of cancer treatment therapy.
Because the dosage and timing of the photon beam radiation can be controlled very precisely, surrounding tissues receive up to 60% less radiation as compared to X-rays. This makes it a highly effective treatment for localized cancers like breast or lung cancer as well as one of the best prostate cancer options.

What to expect from proton cancer treatment
Depending on the specific situation of the patient, proton therapy may be used alone or in combination with other treatments like conventional radiation therapy, surgery or chemotherapy. When used in combination, it begins four to six weeks following surgery or chemotherapy.
Treatments typically last for six to eight weeks, and consist of a daily session five days a week. Each session typically lasts for fifteen to 45 minutes. Actual exposure to radiation is for only a minute or two in each session. Because there are few negative side effects, patients can spend the rest of their days on holiday, exploring the area around the cancer treatment center.

A new trend in cancer treatments
Proton therapy is typically successfully used to treat localized cancers. Because it is noninvasive and has few side effects, it is one of the best choices for treating childhood cancers. It is also one of the best breast, lung and prostate cancer options.
There are around 23 Treatment centers in the U.S. and the number is expected to increase to 27 by the end of 2017. There are around 30 proton treatment centers around the world. Proton radiation therapy is covered by most medical insurance plans.

This new and noninvasive cancer treatment is one of the best prostate cancer options as well as treating a range of other cancers. With quicker and better recovery rates, its use in likely to expand in coming years.