Proton Therapy for Childhood Cancers

Generally, when considering treatment options for various diseases and afflictions such as cancer, people, parents especially, have a lot to register in terms of what is best for their children. Research is always the best initial step to take in order to inform someone and to give them an idea of what to take into consideration when making a full decision with doctors about an immediate treatment plan. One of the most important procedures to look into is the efficacy of proton therapy, as opposed to photon therapy, especially in terms of each treatment’s adverse effects.

Photon therapy, also known as photon radiation, is largely considered the conventional form of radiotherapy, which is a standard part of many long-term treatment plans for cancer. Essentially, it points an X-ray beam to target a tumor, which, after a series of certain events’ occurrence within the body, will then kill the cancer cell by breaking its DNA, rendering it unable to copy itself. For future reference, the X-ray beams used during this process are higher-energy versions of typical X-rays used to scan the body.

In contrast, proton therapy, also known as heavy-ion therapy, uses charged particles in its treatment, as opposed to X-rays. While both processes have the same, if not similar effects on cells, proton therapy affects less of a subject’s normal cells than photon therapy would have. This is because while proton therapy’s beams stop at the tumor itself, photon therapy’s beams go through the tumor, exiting through the other side of the body. Another difference between the two can be seen in researchers’ suggestions that proton therapy is actually more effective. This is because rather than utilizing a series of events to result in the destruction of cancer cells’ DNA, protons target the DNA directly. This causes a greater impact on the cells, especially if combined with additional medication and drugs. While the specific numbers change based on different situations of impact, proton therapy is expected to be on a higher cost range than photon therapy. Because proton therapy is considerably a more recent research-topic and discovery than photon therapy, there are concerns about its sustainability within its locations, as a result of new equipment costs, operational costs, and high amounts of capital invested in it as a whole. In addition, there are a smaller number of locations which offer it. For this reason, it is important to note, however, that proton therapy centers, while located almost in each state of the United States, also have a limited reach, in comparison with photon therapy centers, because of the fact that there are less locations collectively.

Having addressed the fundamental differences between both processes, it is important to highlight the importance of these differences, which can be seen in the specific impacts that proton therapy will have on a subject, especially children. While radiotherapy is generally a beneficial, and efficient way to treat cancer, it can have harmful effects. When these effects are applied to children, side effects like developmental delays, hormone deficiencies, effects on bone and muscle tissue, and hearing loss may result. In areas of high impact, such as those in or near the brain or brain stem, these impacts can be even more harmful when the beams used in radiotherapy impact cells which surround the cancer. Proton therapy may be used in order to dispel these negative effects and keep them occurring in low levels, while potentially increasing efficiency and efficacy in the process, reducing the number of necessary treatments.

Generally, in terms of treatment plans, a patient will use chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery, or a combination of the three. Specifically in the use of radiotherapy, a patient can either use proton or photon therapy, and that’s where research and prior knowledge of the two processes may aid in decision-making, when pre-existing knowledge is combined with doctors’ suggestions and recommendations.

Sources:

https://www.floridaproton.org/cancers-treated/pediatric-cancer

https://www.chop.edu/area-of-study/comparing-safety-and-efficacy-proton-therapy-versus-photon-therapy

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/photons-and-protons#:~:text=Photons%20pass%20through%20the%20cancer,same%20rate%2C%E2%80%9D%20explains%20Viswanathan.

https://www.floridaproton.org/what-is-proton-therapy/faq

https://ascopost.com/News/60123

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/articles/photons-and-protons