Proton Beam Therapy ( PBT ) – Introduction

Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is a type of cancer treatment that uses a beam of protons to kill cancer cells. Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is usually used to treat cancers that are difficult to treat with other types of radiation therapy, such as brain tumors and cancers that have spread to the spine.

Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) has been used to treat cancer patients in India since the early 1990s. PBT is not widely available in India, but there are a few centers that offer this treatment. The cost of PBT in India is often much lower than the cost of PBT in developed countries.

Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is an effective treatment for many types of cancer, but it is not a cure. Cancer cells can return after PBT, and some patients may need additional treatments.

Why Choose Proton Beam Therapy for Cancer Treatment in India?

Proton Beam Therapy is said to be one of the most precise and targeted forms of cancer treatment in India. It uses a high-energy proton beam to target cancerous cells with great accuracy while sparing healthy tissue. This makes it an ideal treatment option for cancer patients in India.

There are many reasons why proton beam therapy is becoming a popular choice for cancer treatment in India. One reason is that it is very effective in treating various types of cancer, including brain tumors, breast cancer, and lung cancer. Additionally, proton beam therapy has very few side effects and is gentle on the body compared to other forms of radiation therapy.

Another reason why proton beam therapy is a good choice for cancer patients in India is that it is extremely cost-effective.

In a nutshell, proton beam therapy for cancer treatment in India is a safe and effective option as compared to other options.

Type of Cancers that can be treated with Proton Beam Therapy

• Proton therapy can be beneficial in treatment of various kinds of tumours/cancers such as tumours of the prostate, lung, Gastrointestinal system, head & neck and brain, etc.
• Proton therapy is also the ideal option for treatment of solid tumours amongst children.It is so because protons can be well controlled precisely.
• Hence, there is less radiation exposure for normal tissues, which further helps in preventing severe complications and reducing the chances of developing secondary tumours.
• Other cancers that benefit from proton therapy, specially when compared to conventional therapies, include – Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Oesophageal cancer, cancers in the salivary gland, various sarcomas, and tumours in the skull base area.

Who is eligible for Proton Beam Therapy?

Once you decide to travel to India for your cancer treatment, your doctor will suggest you the various options that would be most suitable in treating your cancer type. You will have all the liberty to participate in the discussion along with your oncologist to decide regarding what treatment module will suit you the most, depending upon your medical condition and cancer stage& site.

Proton therapy has proved to be the most beneficial for the following category of patients –

• Patients whose tumour is in close proximity to critical organs,
• Patients who have already tried radiation therapy earlier but did not benefit much from it and now have decided to undergo therapy for the 2nd or 3rd time.
• Young age patients whose cancer gets diagnosed early, but are at risk of recurring cancers in their lifetime.
• Patients with intrinsic conditions which expose them to excessive toxicity or have higher risk of developing malignancy for 2nd time after radiation.
• Paediatric patients.

How does Proton Therapy Work?

• The best Proton Beam Therapy hospital in India has a super specialised team of highly skilled teams including – a radiation oncologist, radiation therapist, nurse, physicist, and a dosimetrist (a person who controls the proper radiation dose for a patient’s treatment).
• The entire team of above experts work together to determine the most effective way for giving the necessary dose. In order to ensure that treatment is provided precisely, the dosimetrist and radiation physicist together do widespread treatment calculations.
• The role of radiation therapists is also important here as they are highly qualified & trained technologists who are skilled in administering radiation treatments on a day-to-day basis.
• During the procedure, protons are accelerated in a cyclotron or synchrotron machine. The excessively high speed of protons produces a lot of energy. The protons are then pushed to the desired depth inside the patient’s body through this energy. The protons then eventually deliver targeted radiation dose to the tumour site.
• The best part is that there is very little radiation dose exposure outside of the tumour, when treatment is being done through proton therapy.
• This is in contrast to traditional x-rays radiation treatment as they continue to expose radiation doses even after from a patient’s body; thus leading to negative effects like destroying of healthy tissues in nearby areas of the targeted organ.
• Proton beam therapy does not cause any major pain, except for little discomfort for a short while. It only takes a few minutes for the proton beams to get treated and delivered at the targeted site.

Advantages of Proton Beam Therapy over Traditional Radiation Therapy

It is evident from the above points that Proton Therapy certainly has an edge over traditional radiation therapy. Below are some of the major advantages of Proton Therapy for cancer treatments in India:

• It reduces overall toxicity exposure of otherwise healthy tissues.
• It targets cancer cells and tumours with more precision and involves minimal exit dose.
• This new age therapy is also known to reduce the chances of having long and short term side effects on nearby healthy tissues & organs, thus reducing the chances of developing secondary tumours as a result of treatment.
• It can also be used for treating recurrent tumours in patients who have already undergone radiation therapy.
• Unlike the traditional radiation therapy, Proton therapy is known to precisely deliver an optimum amount of radiation dose to the tumour.
• It significantly improves the quality of life during as well as after treatment.

Apollo Hospital India inaugurated its Proton Cancer Centre in the year 2019, thus making India the 16th Country in the world to offer Proton therapy for fight against cancer. Apollo Proton Cancer Centre (APCC) offers proton therapy with pencil-beam technology which offers a high degree of precision during the treatment. APCC is an integrated cancer care centre with bed capacity of 150 beds. The doctors here take help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for making treatment plan of patients planned for Proton Therapy.