{"id":182,"date":"2023-10-24T17:30:10","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T15:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/physicsworld.com\/?p=110776"},"modified":"2024-01-23T11:24:55","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T10:24:55","slug":"proton-therapy-on-an-upward-trajectory-while-flash-treatment-schemes-get-ready-to-shine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hadamard.com\/c\/proton-therapy-on-an-upward-trajectory-while-flash-treatment-schemes-get-ready-to-shine\/","title":{"rendered":"Proton therapy on an upward trajectory while FLASH treatment schemes get ready to shine"},"content":{"rendered":"

While proton therapy has well and truly arrived as a mainstream treatment option in radiation oncology \u2013 there are currently 42 operational proton facilities in the US and a further 13 centres under construction \u2013 it\u2019s evident that the clinical innovation is only just getting started when it comes to at-scale deployment of protons for the treatment of cancer. That\u2019s one of the key take-aways to emerge from a dedicated conference session \u2013 Innovative Radiation Therapy Approaches: Benefits, Challenges, Global Perspective \u2013 at the ASTRO Annual Meeting<\/a> in San Diego, CA, earlier this month.<\/p>\n

In terms of precision targeting, the case for proton therapy versus conventional radiotherapy is clear enough. Think similar tumour-killing properties as photons, but with markedly decreased dose to normal tissue. All of which helps the radiation oncology team treat tumours close to organs-at-risk (OARs), with the potential for decreased side-effects and complications along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cProtons release all their energy at a point and then they stop,\u201d explained James Metz, chair of radiation oncology at the University of Pennsylvania<\/a> (UPenn) and executive director of the OncoLink<\/a> cancer education service. That means no radiation dose beyond the target as well as far less dose deposited in front of the target compared with photon and electron irradiation.<\/p>\n

\"James<\/a>