Anyone Considered Proton Therapy?

There are currently only five Proton Therapy Treatment Centers in the US. The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has a new $144 million center opening next year. Now you are limited to Harvard University/Mass General Hospital, Indiana University Proton Treatment Center, the University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Proton Treatment Hospital in Houston, currently rated the Number 1 Cancer Hospital by the US News & World Report. Loma Linda University Hospital Proton Treatment Center in California and the University of Florida's Proton Therapy Treatment Institute in Jacksonville, FL.

These are not your usual radiation treatments. Using a $100 million Cyclotron to split the atom, they only use the Proton . It is computer aided to hit only the cancer cells to kill them with no exit through the rest of your body to do the usual radiation damage. You feel nothing. You lose no hair, you aren't tired and the daily treatment lasts only a minute or two.

It usually takes 35 to 40 treatments, Monday to Friday, weekends off to go to the beach or sightsee, whatever you want to do. Most insurance plans pay for this treatment including Medicare and Blue Cross. You are an out-patient and the facility can arrange nice housing for you. That's usually your only cost, plus food and entertainment. No pain, no cutting, no blood and the best cure rate of any type of cancer treatment. The Protons don't damage the good cells, only the cancer. Check it out on Google. Loma Linda University in California has been treating cancer patients for 17 years. The reason there atren't more of these types of facilities is the cost of the Cyclotrons, about $100 million. Notice that these are not "Fly By Night" type facilities, but major teaching universities!

 

I considered Proton therapy but opted for HDR and Tomotherapy. HDR requires two in a hospital environment. Tomotherapy requires only 20 days of 1/2 hour per day. No pain, no burn, no hair loss and best of all no balloon inflation in the rectum each time you get radiation!

George

Crossbow,

Are you saying that Proton treatment can be used in lieu of IMRT radiation every time or only under certain conditions? I just finished IMRT for tonsil cancer. Went to MD Anderson. They never even brought up Proton??

Thanks,

Rick

 

On 3/12/2008 Georgealbert wrote:

I considered Proton therapy but opted for HDR and Tomotherapy. HDR requires two in a hospital environment. Tomotherapy requires only 20 days of 1/2 hour per day. No pain, no burn, no hair loss and best of all no balloon inflation in the rectum each time you get radiation!

George

Read below what the Tomotherapy company is doing with the superior Proton Beam Treatment. Their words, not mine. They want to produce a cheaper Proton delivery system. You took a chance with future complications by using Tomotherapy and the X-Rays that are a part of that system. Why do you think Tomotherapy, Inc. wants into the Proton business? Proton Therapy doesn't use X-Rays for treatment. A $100 million cyclotron is used by the major Universities currently using Proton Therapy for their cancer treatments. It was developed to use on inoperable brain tumors and other such difficult to treat tumors. Prostate Cancer is a piece of cake for the Proton Therapy!  John

 

 

I have heard wonderful things about the Proton Therapy from mnay sources and will be starting the treatments the end of this month at Jacksonville. Crossbow are you a graduate of the Therapy?

Be aware that they are now using gold implants to further insure the accuracy of the treatment. This is similar to what has been done with IRMT, the x-ray version of the treatment. The number of sessions is 43 but being considered is cutting it to 28 but with the brief implant of a high dosage of radioactive seeds in 2 sessions added to the process. 

On 3/12/2008 crossbow wrote:

There are currently only five Proton Therapy Treatment Centers in the US. The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia has a new $144 million center opening next year. Now you are limited to Harvard University/Mass General Hospital, Indiana University Proton Treatment Center, the University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Proton Treatment Hospital in Houston, currently rated the Number 1 Cancer Hospital by the US News & World Report. Loma Linda University Hospital Proton Treatment Center in California and the University of Florida's Proton Therapy Treatment Institute in Jacksonville, FL.

These are not your usual radiation treatments. Using a $100 million Cyclotron to split the atom, they only use the Proton . It is computer aided to hit only the cancer cells to kill them with no exit through the rest of your body to do the usual radiation damage. You feel nothing. You lose no hair, you aren't tired and the daily treatment lasts only a minute or two.

It usually takes 35 to 40 treatments, Monday to Friday, weekends off to go to the beach or sightsee, whatever you want to do. Most insurance plans pay for this treatment including Medicare and Blue Cross. You are an out-patient and the facility can arrange nice housing for you. That's usually your only cost, plus food and entertainment. No pain, no cutting, no blood and the best cure rate of any type of cancer treatment. The Protons don't damage the good cells, only the cancer. Check it out on Google. Loma Linda University in California has been treating cancer patients for 17 years. The reason there atren't more of these types of facilities is the cost of the Cyclotrons, about $100 million. Notice that these are not "Fly By Night" type facilities, but major teaching universities!

 

 

 

On 3/13/2008 crossbow wrote:

 

On 3/12/2008 Georgealbert wrote:

I considered Proton therapy but opted for HDR and Tomotherapy. HDR requires two in a hospital environment. Tomotherapy requires only 20 days of 1/2 hour per day. No pain, no burn, no hair loss and best of all no balloon inflation in the rectum each time you get radiation!

George

Read below what the Tomotherapy company is doing with the superior Proton Beam Treatment. Their words, not mine. They want to produce a cheaper Proton delivery system. You took a chance with future complications by using Tomotherapy and the X-Rays that are a part of that system. Why do you think Tomotherapy, Inc. wants into the Proton business? Proton Therapy doesn't use X-Rays for treatment. A $100 million cyclotron is used by the major Universities currently using Proton Therapy for their cancer treatments. It was developed to use on inoperable brain tumors and other such difficult to treat tumors. Prostate Cancer is a piece of cake for the Proton Therapy!  John

 

 

TomoTherapy Inc. and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to Develop Proton Therapy System

Madison, Wisconsin – TomoTherapy Incorporated (NASDAQ: TTPY) is entering the proton therapy business through a collaboration with scientists at California’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The makers of the TomoTherapy® Hi·Art® treatment system have agreed to fund continued development of a revolutionary accelerator that it expects will form the basis of a compact, low-cost proton therapy system. The system, which uses dielectric wall accelerator (DWA) technology, is the result of defense-related research and, with further development, has the potential to bring proton therapy into the medical mainstream. LLNL has worked to develop the technology with the UC Davis Cancer Center, which helped finance the early development of the DWA as a proton accelerator for cancer treatment.

It is acknowledged that proton beams are fundamentally superior to x-rays for radiation therapy and that high cost is the reason why only a fraction of a percent of all cancer patients are treated with proton therapy. If the collaboration is successful, TomoTherapy expects to provide DWA-based proton therapy systems for less than $20 million and that these units would be installed in existing radiation therapy facilities. Proton therapy is currently provided only within large, dedicated facilities, typically costing more than $100 million to establish. At this time there are only 25 such facilities worldwide, with six operational in the United States, including one at UC Davis that treats only ocular malignancies.

TomoTherapy co-founders Dr. Thomas “Rock” Mackie and Paul Reckwerdt have spearheaded the relationship with LLNL that led to the collaboration. Reckwerdt will oversee the project.

Said Dr. Fred Robertson, TomoTherapy CEO, “It is an honor for us to be chosen as a partner by Lawrence Livermore to commercialize this groundbreaking technology. Because proton therapy clearly has advantages for many cancer sufferers, it is an ideal complement to the TomoTherapy Hi·Art treatment system, which is being embraced by hospitals and cancer centers for its own distinct advantages.”

I am very concerned after reading the message regarding the Tomotherapy and the Proton Therapy message, as my brother has just started taking the Tomotherapy treatments. You mentioned that one is taking a chance when deciding to do the Tomotherapy treatments. Can the treatment be dangerous? This therapy is all new to me, so I'm wondering if someone could tell me alittle more about this treatment if they have had it, or know anything about it. Thanks very much.

 

Had 44 Proton Beam Treatments at Loma Linda and it was a marvelous experience--non invasive, painless, and minimal side effects.  Balloon to protect the rectum was no problem, not even uncomfortable, and well worth it for the long term results.  Check out www.protonbob.com.  Best decision I ever made!

I've been reading a lot of reports of rectal bleeding happening about 1-1.5 years after proton treatment.  I like the concept of proton but I am worried about future rectal cancer as a result.  Anyone else have any opinions on the possibilities of rectal cancer?   Also,  what is with the balloon to protect the rectum during proton Rx.  ?   Can anyone explain that?

Just got back from Mass General meeting with my urologist/ surgeon,a radiologist,and a oncologist to discus my options to treat my prostate cancer.

I am 74 gleason # 6 with 6 of 12 biopsy showing 70% cancer.

The surgeon gave a slight preference for radiation,the radiologist would only recommend external beam radiation.

It was agreed watchful wainting was a  option but would not recommended it and seed were not recommended due to the volume of cancer.

The radiologist did say that the IMRT outcomes are similar to proton beam but IMRT would kill more healthy tissues them the Proton.

I decided on Proton