What is Breast
Cancer Proton Therapy?
Radiation
therapy will be used in the treatment of many women with breast cancer.
Radiation therapy has the advantage of being able to eliminate cancer cells in
a precise area. However, it has the potential to harm neighboring healthy
tissue in the process.
Proton
therapy is a sort of external beam radiation therapy that reduces the risk of
tissue damage. If you have breast cancer, this can help protect your heart and
lungs from radiation harm.
We'll
talk about proton therapy and when it's utilized, as well as answer some common
questions concerning proton therapy for breast cancer in this post.
What
is proton therapy for breast cancer?
To
kill cancer cells, radiation therapy uses high-intensity energy beams.
X-rays
provide energy in traditional radiation therapy, also known as photon therapy.
These beams travel past the tumor and continue on, causing damage to
neighboring healthy tissues and organs in some cases. This can harm heart or
lung tissue during breast cancer treatment.
Tissue
damage may be reduced if more accurate targeting is used.
The
use of protons enables more precise targeting. Doctors can specify a specific
stopping point since it uses charged particles called protons instead of
X-rays. They can focus the energy beams specifically on the tumor, preventing
them from passing through to the surrounding tissue.
As
a result, according to a 2018 study, proton treatment may lessen the risk of
heart and lung damage. This could be especially beneficial if you have cancer
on your left side, near your heart.
Proton
therapy may be used to treat breast cancer that is:
· progesterone
receptor-positive or negative
· Positive
or negative progesterone receptors
· Positive
or negative for HER2
· Stage
1, 2, and 3
· triple-positive
· triple-negative
· inflammatory
· ductal
carcinoma in situ is a type of cancer that occurs in the ducts
· ductal
carcinoma invasive
· lobular
carcinoma invasive
Who
is the ideal candidate for this type of breast cancer treatment?
Research
from 2018 suggests that breast cancer patients most likely to benefit from
proton therapy over traditional radiation therapy are those expected to have
higher doses to the heart.
Radiation
to the heart can be increased by a variety of factors, including:
· having
malignancies in the inner quadrant
· having
cancers on the left side
· undergoing
a mastectomy
· undergoing
radiation therapy to the lymph nodes in the region
· Multiple
therapies are usually used in treatment.
If
you have a high risk of heart disease, your doctor may consider proton therapy.
Multiple
therapies are usually used in treatment.
Multiple
therapies are frequently used to treat breast cancer.
· A
mastectomy or a lumpectomy are two examples.
· treatment
with x-rays
· chemotherapy
· targeted
therapy
· hormone
replacement treatment
· treatment
with biologics
Factors
that influence your treatment plan
Your
doctor will give you a treatment plan based on things like:
· At
the time of diagnosis
· the
patient's age and overall health
· the
type of breast cancer that you have
· grade
of the tumour
· whether
it is a recurrence of cancer, past cancer treatments
How
effective is proton therapy?
According
to research published in 2017, proton treatment is both safer and perhaps more
effective than standard radiation therapy.
In
a 2018 study, 42 women who had proton treatment following a mastectomy for
non-metastatic breast cancer were tracked for a year. The overall survival rate
was 97.2 per cent after almost three years of median follow-up. This is
comparable to the results of standard radiation therapy.
Proton
treatment for breast cancer has a similar rate of disease control as standard
radiation therapy, according to a phase 2 trial released in 2019.
What
is the proton therapy procedure like?
Proton
therapy is fairly similar to standard radiation therapy in terms of how it
works.
The
outpatient treatment takes only a few minutes, but you'll likely spend
approximately 30 minutes in the operation room. It's commonly given five times
a week for up to six weeks, just as regular radiation therapy.
The
radiation therapist will determine the ideal treatment position and label your
skin accordingly before beginning. All subsequent treatments will be guided by
these markers.
You
won't feel hemmed in because it's an open machine. The therapist will head to
the control room to administer the therapy once you've been correctly
positioned. The therapy is painless, but you must remain completely still.
Through
an intercom, the therapist may interact with you and let you know when it's
safe to move. As soon as it's over, you'll be allowed to depart.
What
are the risks associated with proton therapy?
Proton
therapy has side effects that are similar to those of regular radiation.
· Skin
soreness
· Skin
soreness
· fatigue
According
to a 2018 study, proton treatment has a low toxicity profile.
People
who received proton therapy had "much fewer" significant side effects
than those who received standard radiation therapy, according to 2020 Source.
Within
90 days of starting treatment, 12% of the proton group experienced a serious
side event that necessitated hospitalisation. This is in comparison to 28% in
the conventional radiation group.
Longer
follow-up timeframes and clinical trials will be required to adequately examine
long-term harmful effects.
Proton
treatment for breast cancer: frequently asked questions
Is
proton therapy a more effective treatment than standard radiation?
Radiation
therapy, in both forms, is beneficial. Proton therapy, according to 2017
research, may be a little more effective. Researchers may be able to learn more
about the long-term impacts of one over the other as time goes on.
Is
proton therapy a better option for cancer treatment than standard radiation?
Because
proton beams do not extend beyond the tumor site, the danger of radiation
injury to healthy tissues is reduced. If you have breast cancer, this can mean
lowering your risk of heart and lung damage.
If
you have a high risk of heart disease, this is extremely crucial. There is a
need for more long-term research comparing traditional versus proton radiation
therapy.
Is
proton therapy utilized in the treatment of other cancers?
Proton
treatment is used to treat a number of malignancies, including breast cancer.
These are some of them:
· prostate
cancer
· brain
cancer
· lung
cancer
· liver
cancer
· esophagus
cancer
· many
pediatric cancers
Proton
therapy is covered by insurance?
Proton
therapy is covered in full or in part by Medicare and some other insurance
companies. However, not everyone does. To avoid being caught off by surprise,
it's crucial to check with your insurance provider before beginning therapy.
Your
doctor's office can help you figure out if proton treatment is covered by your
insurance.
What
is proton treatment and where can you receive it?
Proton
therapy is currently available in many major hospitals and cancer treatment
facilities, while it may be difficult to find in other locations. If there is a
location near you, your oncology team can tell you about it.
Takeaway
Proton
treatment is a sort of external beam radiation therapy that is more advanced.
It provides high-dose radiation to cancer cells directly.
It's
more precise than standard radiation therapy, so adjacent tissues and organs
are less likely to be harmed. Proton therapy may reduce the risk of heart or
lung damage when treating breast cancer. Tenderness, redness, and weariness are
all possible side effects.
The
procedure is similar to regular radiation therapy and is usually only one
component of a larger treatment regimen.
Ask
your doctor if proton therapy is a good option for you if your doctor
prescribes radiation treatment for breast cancer.