Resources: Survivor Stories | Clinical Trials | News | Blog
Call Us for More Information
800.615.2270

Proton Therapy

Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment

Mesothelioma patients may receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment regimen, but without precise delivery, radiation can harm healthy cells as well as the tumors. Proton therapy is one of the most specialized types of radiation particle therapy, beaming highly energized protons directly at cancerous growths. Since protons can only travel through several centimeters of tissue, they rarely extend outside of the treatment area. This reduces the potential for side effects that occur when radiation therapy impacts healthy surrounding tissues and organs, such as the lungs (in the case of pleural mesothelioma) or the heart (in the case of pericardial mesothelioma).

Because proton therapy is a site-specific treatment, it is typically not given to patients whose cancer has spread throughout the body (called metastasis). Mesothelioma patients may be eligible for the procedure if their cancer has not metastasized, but patients with advanced stages of the cancer (when the cancer has spread) are often more responsive to other treatments such as chemotherapy.

However, the therapy is generally well tolerated by patients who receive it, and patients who undergo proton therapy are up to 50 percent less likely to develop secondary cancers after completing treatment.  If you would like to be connected with a doctor who has experience treating mesothelioma patients with proton therapy, please fill out the form on this page or contact our Doctor Match Program at (800) 549-054

What is Proton Therapy?

Proton therapy is delivered externally, making it a non-invasive type of mesothelioma treatment. Protons can be directed at the tumor from a steady beam or through a moving beam in a technique known as pencil beam scanning proton therapy. In pencil beam scanning proton therapy, the radiation oncologist directs the beam to desired areas, avoiding healthy areas, vital organs or sensitive areas that have already been radiated. Additionally, the radiation therapist can adjust the intensity of the protons so that they are not strong enough to penetrate into tissues or organs that lie beneath the tumor. This allows the majority of radiation to remain within the cancerous cells.

Proton therapy is delivered in cycles of up to seven or eight weeks. The length of treatment is often dependent on the dose of radiation required to treat the cancer: higher doses of radiation are given in shorter cycles while lower doses of radiation are delivered over a longer period of time. To prepare them for the procedure, patients will undergo a simulation session approximately a week before official treatments are set to begin.

The proton beam provides much more conformal radiation, which means higher doses to tumors and lower dosages to critical structures nearby.
– Dr. Joe Chang, M.D., Ph. D., MD Anderson's UT Department of Radiation Oncology

During a proton therapy session, patients are positioned on a device that prevents the body from moving around during the session. Using markings made during the simulation session, the radiation therapist will position the radiation beam at the area of the body requiring treatment and administer your dose from a control room. Throughout the 30- to 90-minute treatment sessions, patients will be able to communicate with their radiation therapist via a two-way intercom. The procedure is painless, and patients are not considered to be radioactive after a proton therapy session.

Unlike other forms of radiation therapy, proton therapy does not subject healthy tissue to high doses of radiation. Only 20 percent of the radiation delivered by proton therapy is deposited into the surrounding tissue, which typically is too weak to cause substantial side effects. A study of lung cancer patients who received proton therapy at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas found that the participants were less likely to develop esophagitis, pneumonitis and bone marrow toxicity, three of the major side effects associated with other types of radiation therapy. The side effects that do arise are typically similar to side effects experienced with other forms of radiation, but on a much milder scale. These may include skin redness and temporary hair loss in the area being treated.

For a detailed description and visual of how proton therapy works, watch this video from the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute.

Proton Therapy for Mesothelioma Patients

Did you know?

One study found that pleural mesothelioma patients who underwent proton therapy showed lower post-treatment radiation levels in the kidneys, liver, heart, spinal cord and non-cancerous lung than the levels in the organs of patients who received another form of radiation therapy.

Proton therapy is primarily approved for patients with cancer in only one location. Mesothelioma patients with Stage I cancer may be eligible for the procedure since the cancer has not spread in Stage I. Because mesothelioma is a rapidly spreading disease and many patients are diagnosed in later stages when the cancer has already spread, proton therapy may not be an option for all mesothelioma patients.


Other requirements to be a candidate for proton therapy include:

Weight of under 360 pounds (equipment may not be able to accommodate heavier patients)

Ability to commute to or stay near the treatment facility for daily appointments

According to a 2005 study, each year approximately 20 mesothelioma patients in Sweden alone may qualify for proton therapy. The rates may be higher or lower in other countries, but this statistic points to the fact that mesothelioma patients can be diagnosed early enough to qualify for proton therapy. Thankfully, advancements in early detection of mesothelioma are helping more patients to qualify for proton therapy by detecting the cancer before it spreads.

Mesothelioma patients who do receive proton therapy are often undergoing a combination of the treatment with other procedures, such as surgery. This approach, known as multimodal therapy, combines treatments to more effectively fight the cancer than with a single treatment.

Regarded as one of the most sophisticated types of radiation delivery, proton therapy has become increasingly prevalent since its development in the 1950s. It has been used in clinical cancer treatment in the United States since 1990. As of 2009, there were 38 worldwide facilities dedicated to proton therapy, including the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute and the Proton Therapy and Treatment Center at Loma Linda University.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and would like assistance making an appointment with a proton therapy facility or another renowned treatment center, please call the Mesothelioma Center's Patient Advocates at (800) 615-2270.

View Article Sources

mesothelioma-packet
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Country:
Phone Number:
Email:
Diagnosis:
Comments:
terms of use
Mesothelioma News
rss news tag