Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffProton therapy is used as a treatment for cancer and some noncancerous tumors. Proton therapy may be used as the only treatment for your condition. Or it may be used in conjunction with other treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy.
Proton therapy is sometimes used to treat certain conditions, such as:
- Brain tumors
- Cancer in children
- Eye melanoma
- Head and neck cancers
- Liver cancer
- Lung cancer
- Pituitary gland cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Tumors affecting the spine
- Tumors in the base of the skull
Clinical trials are investigating proton therapy as a treatment for other cancers, such as:
- Bladder cancer
- Breast cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Lymphoma
- Pancreatic cancer
- Soft tissue sarcoma
References
- Brada M, et al. Current clinical evidence for proton therapy. Cancer Journal. 2009;15:319.
- Olsen DR, et al. Proton therapy: A systematic review of clinical effectiveness. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2007;83:123.
- 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 Nov. 15, 2010.
- Found 105 studies with search of: proton therapy AND cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov. http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=proton+therapy+AND+cancer. Accessed Nov. 23, 2010.
- Levin WP, et al. Proton beam therapy. British Journal of Cancer. 2005;93:849.
- Greco C, et al. Current status of radiotherapy with proton and light ion beams. Cancer. 2007;109:1227.
- Schulz-Ertner D. The clinical experience with particle therapy in adults. Cancer Journal. 2009;15:306.
- Goitein M, et al. Should randomized clinical trials be required for proton radiotherapy? Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2008;26:175.
- Suit H, et al. Should positive phase III clinical trial data be required before proton beam therapy is more widely adopted? No. Radiotherapy and Oncology. 2008;86:148.
Find Mayo Clinic on