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Proton therapy is an advanced treatment that sends radiation to the exact size, shape and depth of your tumor. It allows your physician to treat your cancer while helping to protect nearby tissue. This makes proton therapy a good option for treating tumors near healthy organs, like gastrointestinal (GI) tumors.
Tough on Your Tumor. Easier on Your Body.
Proton therapy is an advanced treatment that sends radiation to the exact size, shape and depth of your tumor. It allows your physician to treat your cancer while helping to protect nearby tissue. This makes proton therapy a good option for treating tumors near healthy organs, like gastrointestinal (GI) tumors.
Types of Gastrointestinal Tumors Treated with Proton Therapy
Proton radiation therapy may be an option for people with a wide range of GI cancers.
Esophageal Cancer
The esophagus is in a hard location to treat, both for surgery and for radiation. It is in front of the spine, behind the heart and between the left and right lungs. When we use radiation to treat esophageal cancer, it is important to deliver enough radiation to the cancer without damaging the normal organs around the esophagus. Proton radiation for esophageal cancer can help normal organs get less radiation, and studies show that it may lead to fewer side effects from radiation treatment.
Liver Cancer and Liver Metastases
Radiation therapy is an important treatment option for liver cancer patients, but the liver is a delicate organ that can be harmed by radiation, especially in patients who already have liver problems. Proton therapy is a highly targeted form of radiation that helps protect healthy liver tissue while sending an effective dose of radiation directly to the tumor. By minimizing damage to the rest of the liver, proton therapy can reduce side effects and make treatment safer.
Pancreatic and Bile Duct Cancers
Patients who have pancreatic cancer only in their pancreas, or people who have recently had surgery to remove their pancreatic cancer, may be helped by radiation therapy. Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy that can reduce the radiation dose to your kidneys, liver, spinal cord and bowel. This lowers the risk of side effects like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Reirradiation
Proton therapy can be especially helpful for patients with gastrointestinal cancers who need radiation treatment in an area that has already had radiation in the past. Because proton therapy delivers radiation to one exact place, it can target the tumor while sending less radiation to nearby healthy tissue. This is important because the nearby tissue may have already been affected by past treatment. Proton therapy allows us to treat recurrent (tumors that have come back) or new tumors in sensitive areas more safely. It gives patients another chance to have effective treatment with a lower risk of side effects.
Other GI Cancers
Radiation therapy is an important part of treatment for patients with cancers in the pelvis, like rectal and anal cancers. These cancers are found near healthy tissue like the small and large intestines, bladder, bone marrow and reproductive organs. Proton therapy may be able to lower radiation exposure to these nearby organs and help reduce side effects like diarrhea, urinary problems, abnormal blood counts and sexual dysfunction.
“Even in the darkest moment, I remembered, there is only one way to go — forward. The tremendous support that I received has not gone unnoticed as my life has been extended in large part because of [the team’s] dedication and expertise.”
— Doug, esophageal cancer patient
Proton Therapy Facts
- Pencil-beam scanning (PBS) lets us match your treatment to the size, shape and depth of your tumor. PBS “paints” your tumor with a lot of very thin, very precise beams of protons. The beams are accurate down to millimeters.
- Proton therapy lowers the amount of radiation that reaches nearby tissue and organs.
- Proton therapy may be an option for you even if you’ve already had radiation for cancer. In fact, it may be your only option for getting more radiation treatment.
- Treatments are safe, noninvasive (no cuts to the skin are needed) and painless for most patients, helping you recover faster and keep living your life.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved proton therapy for clinical use in 1988. More than 200,000 people worldwide have had this form of treatment.
Find a Provider
Our proton therapy team is here not only to treat your disease, but to listen to you and take care of you and your family. They are experts in proton therapy who focus on giving you personalized treatment and who understand your questions, needs and concerns.
