Tumors that are difficult to access are difficult for doctors to operate on. These patients therefore often receive radiation therapy. Proton therapy is part of radiation therapy. Protons are energetic particles that penetrate tissue and organs and release energy at the tumor. This energy damages the tumor tissue and it dies.
Specialized centers for proton therapy have been operating in Germany for several years.
Protons have a special property: they slow down in the tissue and can therefore penetrate to a certain depth. There, the particles release their energy and damage the cancer cells without destroying too much healthy tissue.
In a synchrotron or cyclotron, protons are accelerated to just over half the speed of light. Magnets bundle the protons into a beam that penetrates the tissue and targets the tumor.
Depending on the strength of the proton beam, two irradiation options are available:
In pencil beam scanning, the proton beam hits the tumor tissue in a focused manner (as with a pencil tip). Scattering involves a scattered proton beam that is rather broad.
Proton therapy is planned precisely using CT scans, which determine the required penetration depth and extent. This procedure ensures that doctors treat diseased (and not healthy) tissue.
Proton therapy is a modern form of radiotherapy that can be precisely targeted to the tumor @ Thomas /AdobeStock
Proton therapy is used when a tumor is located in a radiation-sensitive organ or in a sensitive area of the body.
These include
By 2019, around 200,000 cancer patients worldwide had received proton therapy. The trend is still rising.
There are currently 5 large proton therapy centers in Germany. Thanks to the 5 active centers and their proton therapy specialists, demand-oriented care is largely ensured in the north, south, east and west.
The proton therapy centers in Germany:
