ADVANTAGES OF PROTON THERAPY IN LUNG TUMOUR RADIATION TREATMENT COMPARED TO CONVENTIONAL RADIOTHERAPY
- Increases the overall radiation dose with lower toxicity = less strain on critical organs.
- Decreases the radiation dose affecting the healthy tissue of the lungs thereby reducing the risk of respiratory problems and the development of pulmonary fibrosis.
- Reduces the radiation dose affecting the cardiac muscle thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
- Reduces the risk of swallowing difficulties or loss of appetite.
- Increases the quality of life of patients.
- Using fewer treatment fractions and reducing total radiation time.
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The diagram shows the radiation dose distribution in the body when using proton vs. photon therapies.
It is apparent that the proton beam irradiates only the target volume (the area where the tumour is or was located), i.e. the radiation is targeted almost exclusively to the affected tissue. On the contrary, photon radiation, owing to its physical properties, significantly affects also the surrounding area of the healthy structure.
