Cancer is a very difficult disease. It can strike in many different ways and present itself in many different forms. Doctors and research scientists have been developing better ways to treat cancer in its many forms over the last several decades.
One of the most effective treatments being practiced today is proton therapy for cancer. This treatment method has many benefits to it with very few downsides. Here are three reasons proton therapy is the perfect option for many types of cancer, including brain cancer treatment, prostate cancer treatment, and even breast cancer treatment.
1.) Proton Therapy is targeted specifically on the tumor
Proton therapy is radiation but is much different than the conventional radiation therapy with which you might be familiar. Proton therapy stops at a very specifically targeted point in the tissue where the cancer is found. This prevents the radiation from going beyond the cancerous tissues and damaging other healthy areas of the body.
For example, proton therapy for breast cancer keeps the radiation from going to the heart and, compared to conventional radiation, sends on average 50% less radiation to the heart. Proton therapy for brain cancer treatment yields many of the same results. Because it can be targeted so specifically in the brain, doctors can eradicate the cancer while protecting unaffected brain areas.
2.) Proton Therapy can decrease the radiation dose to gastrointestinal structures
Compared to X-rays, proton therapy decreases the radiation dose in the lower body by at least 59%. The gastrointestinal structures receive less radiation and less damage occurs as a result. This has long been an issue for cancer patients who have experienced cancer in the lower part of their bodies. Prostate cancer sufferers, for example, have been able to recover much more quickly because they no longer have to worry about extraneous damage.
3.) Proton Therapy can reduce the side effects of treating most types of cancer
It used to be the case that men who were being treated for prostate cancer would have to endure the side effects of impotence, among other things. With proton therapy, 94% of men report that they are still sexually active after treatment.
Similar things are being said about other kinds of cancer patients as well. The recovery time after breast cancer treatment is reduced because of the extremely focused nature of the radiation. When it comes to brain cancer treatment, higher doses of radiation can be given to a patient, making it more effective and much less damaging than ever before.
We all hope that one day soon, cancer will be a thing of the past. It has taken many loved ones, friends, colleagues and is no respecter of persons; it can come for anyone. Until that day comes, doctors will be trying their best to develop treatments and drugs to battle it. For now, proton therapy is one of the most effective ways to fight that battle.
If you or someone you know is battling cancer, ask the doctor about proton therapy for cancer treatment. It is effective, quick, and very specifically targeted to the cancerous areas of the body.
