Proton therapy is an advanced form of particle therapy that uses a beam of protons to treat cancer. It more precisely targets radiation dosage to the tumor compared to other radiotherapy. Proton accelerators produce protons with energies between 70-250 MeV that cause DNA damage only in the targeted cells, sparing nearby tissue. Protons deposit most of their energy at the "Bragg peak" at the end of their range, penetrating no further. This allows proton therapy to avoid side effects of standard radiation and make it preferable for pediatric cases. While preliminary studies show few side effects, it remains the most precise radiation treatment available.

1. AN ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IN TREATMENT OF CANCERS

2. Introduction
 Proton therapy is a form of particle therapy
which uses a beam of protons to irradiate
diseased tissue, most often in the treatment of
cancer.
 The chief advantage of proton therapy is the
ability to more precisely localize the radiation
dosage when compared with other types of
external beam radiotherapy.

3. Description
 The accelerators used for proton therapy typically produce
protons with energies in the range of 70 to 250 MeV .
 Such protons cause DNA damage specifically to the cells of
the selected area without affecting the nearby tissue.
 The dose delivered to tissue is maximum just over the last
few millimeters of the particle’s range; this maximum is
called the Bragg peak.
 All protons of a given energy have a certain range, very few
protons penetrate beyond that distance.

4. Depth-dose plot of proton and x-ray beam

5. COMPOSITION OF PROTON
ACCELERATOR

6. Advantages
1. Most precise form of radiation treatment available
today.
2. Is non-invasive and painless.
3. Avoids the usual side effects of standard x-ray
radiation.
4. Highly preferred radiation treatment modality option for
pediatric cases because children are susceptible to
injury from standard x-ray radiation .

7. Side effects and risks
 Preliminary results from a 2009
study, including high dose treatments, show
very few or no side effects.

8. Applications
 Conditions Treated
 Prostate,
 Base of Skull,
 Brain and Spinal Cord,
 Eye,
 Head and Neck,
 Chest and Abdomen,
 Tumors in Children.

9. Comparison with other treatment
options
 X-ray radiotherapy
 X-ray radiation dose falls off gradually, while tissues
deeper in the body than the tumor receive essentially no
radiation during proton therapy.
 X-ray therapy causes damage to the tumor as well as the
surrounding healthy tissues. .

10.  Surgery
 The benefit of external beam proton radiation lies in the
dosimetric difference from external beam x-ray radiation
and brachytherapy in cases, where the use of radiation
therapy is already indicated, rather than as a direct
competition with surgery.

11. THANKS
FOR
ATTENTION
M. Deyab
CELL BIOLOGY