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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffProton therapy is a type of radiation therapy — a treatment that uses high-energy beams to treat tumors.
Radiation therapy using X-rays has long been used to treat cancers and noncancerous (benign) tumors. Proton therapy is a newer type of radiation therapy that uses energy from positively charged particles called protons.
Proton therapy has shown promise in treating several kinds of cancer. Research of proton therapy continues, as doctors try to determine who may benefit from proton therapy treatment.
Proton therapy isn't widely available in the United States.
References
- Brada M, et al. Current clinical evidence for proton therapy. Cancer Journal. 2009;15:319.
- Foote RL, et al. The clinical case for proton beam therapy. Radiation Oncology. 2012;7:174.
- Flanz J, et al. Technology for proton therapy. Cancer Journal. 2009;15:292.
- Devicienti S, et al. Patient positioning in the proton radiotherapy era. Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research. 2010;29:47.
- Proton therapy. RadiologyInfo.org. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=protonthera. Accessed July 8, 2013.
- 200 studies found for: proton therapy AND cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=proton+therapy+AND+cancer. Accessed July 8, 2013.
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