At present, it is possible to cure a large percentage of women with this disease and our goal is to make their life after treatment free of any limitations and health complications. If radiation is to be part of breast cancer treatment, it is important to choose the most gentle method. Proton therapy delivers an adequate dose of radiation to the target area and at the same time reduces the radiation of the surrounding tissues, especially the heart and lungs. Proton therapy thus minimises the risk of late side effects, such as heart attack, cardiac arrhythmia, development of pulmonary fibrosis or the development of secondary tumours from radiation.
Proton therapy is particularly beneficial for:
Very late effects of breast cancer radiation treatments can manifest in the tissue of the lungs. Based on many years of experience, it was established that the irradiation of a larger lung volume is associated with the development of changes in the lung tissue, or with the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Pulmonary fibrosis is most often manifested by recurrent pneumonia and chronic cough.
Proton therapy is a precise and gentle breast cancer treatment method with minimal side effects. It enables precise targeting of the proton beam at the target area (breast, thoracic wall, sentinel lymph nodes), and minimises exposure of surrounding tissues and organs to radiation. There is one substantial reason to indicate proton radiotherapy, especially for left-sided findings, and that is RIHD (radiation induced heart disease). Heart disease cause by radiation is one of the most serious late effects of radiation. In the treatment of breast cancer for which radiation has been recommended, experts therefore work to minimise radiation doses to the heart. Thanks to the proton beam, we can significantly reduce the risk of a heart attack and other heart problems.
