Proton Therapy For Cancer In India

Proton therapy offers you a precise and effective way to treat tumors with radiation. It targets the tumor directly while protecting the healthy tissue around it. This works because proton energy is carefully controlled to stop at a specific depth while keeping nearby tissues and organs safe.

This unique property reduces the radiation dose to your surrounding healthy tissues and vital organs. This can be possible due to the Bragg peak effect radiology. The Bragg peak effect happens when charged particles like protons deposit most of their energy towards the end of their path through matter. This is the key part of proton therapy and it helps the radiation to reach accurately to the cancerous cell without spilling in the nearby tissues and cells.

This precision means fewer side effects and less damage to healthy tissues for you or your child. It’s a safer option for certain types of tumors and can also lower the risk of developing new cancers caused by radiation.

Due to its precision, proton therapy is regarded as one of the best treatments for brain tumors. Accurate radiation safeguards the sensitive areas of the brain by targeting only the tumor and minimizing radiation exposure to healthy areas.

With traditional radiation therapy, X-rays can’t always tell the difference between your cancer cells and your healthy tissues. This energy goes beyond your tumor and impacts your healthy organs and tissues.

As a result, you might experience side effects like fatigue, skin irritation, or even long-term complications like organ damage or secondary cancers.

Proton therapy works differently. It can precisely target your tumor, minimizing the risk of harming healthy tissues.

This is particularly helpful if your tumor is in a sensitive or hard-to-reach area, like the brain, spine, or near vital organs. Proton therapy allows doctors to deliver high doses of radiation directly to the tumor while protecting the surrounding healthy areas. This gives you the best chance at effective treatment with fewer risks to your body.

Proton therapy reduces the risk of long-term side effects like growth issues, hormonal problems, or secondary cancers.

Proton therapy is a leading-edge option if you’re dealing with cancer near critical areas like the brain or spine. It’s especially effective for complex tumors, providing targeted treatment with fewer side effects.

Proton therapy works differently than traditional radiation therapies, as it releases most of its energy on the tumor and stops there. This reduces the damage to the nearby healthy tissues. 

This therapy is best for: 

• Brain tumors near areas that control vision, hearing, and other such important functions
• Brain tumors that are hard to reach with surgery
• Brain tumors that came back after treatment or recurrent brain tumors
• People who have undergone radiation therapy before
• Irregular-shaped tumors that are difficult to target with traditional radiation therapy. 
• Breast cancer where the heart and lungs are at risk
• Eye cancers
• Lymphomas
• Kidney cancer
• Cervical cancer

The good news is that more treatment centers are opening, and insurance coverage is improving, making it more accessible.

Proton therapy can achieve its precision and incredible accuracy using advanced tools like improved imaging and pencil beam scanning. Because of its advanced approach, you can expect fewer side effects and better outcomes. Proton therapy is now being used to treat many cancers, including brain and spinal tumors, lung cancer, prostate cancer, and even cancers in children.

A review of studies has confirmed that patients treated with proton therapy showed better outcomes including lesser need for nutritional supplements, lesser cough, lesser xerostomia (dry mouth), no dysgeusia (a distorted sense of taste), and better general symptoms. 

Proton therapy isn’t just about treating cancer, it’s about improving your overall health. It focuses on giving you or your loved ones the best chance at recovery with fewer side effects and more expectancy for the future.

Two studies from Penn Medicine and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia show that proton therapy is both effective and safe for treating brain tumors in children. 

One study found that young children with medulloblastoma (a malignant tumor of the central nervous system) who received proton therapy had a five-year overall survival rate of 84%. In comparison, historical rates are between 30% and 60% for those who did not receive radiotherapy. 

The other study showed that pencil beam scanning in proton therapy resulted in a brainstem tissue damage rate of just 0.7% at 24 months. This rate is significantly lower than rates reported with older proton methods. 

Another study which was conducted on people above 65 showed that advanced radiation therapy treated aggressive cancer successfully. Patients mostly live 6 to 9 months in such a situation but with advanced radiation, patients live 13.1 months to 2 years. 

A study found that proton therapy is excellent for the long-term control of tumors. Its 5-year overall survival rate is 85.9% in cases of different types including, prostate cancer. In addition to that, the patients tolerated the treatment well and there were few or no side effects. 

A 2017 study conducted in Japan showed some positive results in liver cancer patients who underwent proton therapy. The 5-year recovery rate was 69% for early-stage, 66% for intermediate-stage, and 25% for advanced-stage cancer.

The blood-brain barrier creates particular obstacles for treating brain cancer.  This barrier is a protective shield made up of densely packed cells that line brain blood arteries. It keeps potentially dangerous chemicals, viruses, and germs from entering the brain. 

Though BBB protects the brain, it makes treating brain diseases like cancer challenging. It blocks many chemotherapy drugs from reaching cancer cells and that makes treatment options limited. 

This is where proton therapy works wonders. PT does not bypass BBB but targets the tumor without relying on drugs. It delivers focused radiation directly to the tumor.  

Besides when the tumor is near vital organs like the eyes and ears, traditional radiation therapy may harm healthy tissue and cause speech, memory, and hearing.

Proton therapy effectively treats brain and spinal cord cancers like 

• Chordomas (cancer that develops in the spine and base of the skull)
• Meningiomas (a slow-growing tumor that forms in membranes called meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord)
• Chondrosarcomas (rare malignant bone tumor of cartilage cells)
• Gliomas (type of brain cancer)
• Medulloblastomas ( fast-growing, malignant brain tumor)

You will receive direct radiation to your tumor while preserving healthy surrounding tissue with this innovative treatment. This means a lower risk of cognitive or neurological harm. 

Proton therapy is particularly effective for tumors located in delicate regions such as the skull base or spine, where accuracy is most significant.

Whether your tumor is cancerous or non-cancerous, proton therapy offers targeted treatment with minimal harm. Many patients in India are already experiencing its benefits, with fewer side effects and better health.

Pediatric cancer, or childhood cancer, affects children from birth to age 14. If your child has this illness, it’s essential to understand that many types of cancer can be treated and even cured with the right medical help.

Proton treatment gives a chance to families facing childhood cancer. Its accuracy makes it possible to safeguard their developing body from side effects. Proton therapy is a very precise treatment, making it one of the best choices for your child.

Regular radiation can have an impact on your child’s developing body. This can perhaps cause long-term health difficulties. Proton therapy targets the tumor while minimizing the impact on healthy cells which is necessary for your child’s growth and development.

For example, if your kid is receiving proton treatment for a brain tumor, it may reduce the likelihood of learning issues, memory problems, or developmental delays by limiting harm to healthy brain tissue.  Traditional methods can impact memory, learning, and attention. Its accuracy also reduces the exit dose. This means less radiation passes through the rest of the body. This is essential if the tumors are located close to delicate areas like the brain, spinal cord, or essential systems.

Proton treatment helps your child have a better chance of surviving with fewer side effects.

The MedicoExperts team is dedicated to providing a smooth and hassle-free experience. Below is how the team can assist you:

1. Initial Consultation

Your healthcare journey begins with an initial appointment. Here a medical specialist evaluates your issue. They will check your imaging data, medical history, and other information to determine if proton treatment is a good choice for you.

2. Pre-Treatment Evaluations and Tests

After proton therapy is authorized as the proper treatment, you will be required to complete tailored pre-treatment examinations and diagnostic testing.  A personalized treatment plan can be created based on these tests. As they will ensure accuracy and effectiveness.

3. Treatment Plan and Recovery Timeline 

Then, you will get a thorough treatment program that details your sessions and gives you an approximate recovery time. Your healthcare staff will also inform you about what to expect throughout and after treatment so you are never left guessing.

We recognize that medical travel may be daunting. That’s why we provide additional services to make your treatment procedure as easy as possible: 

• Travel Arrangements: To make your trip as stress-free as possible, we will manage your transportation and accommodations. 
• Language Assistance: If you plan to go overseas or come to India, we will provide language assistance to help you comprehend medical advice and treatment options. 
• Post-Treatment Care: After completing your therapy, we will schedule follow-up sessions and post-treatment care to monitor your progress and ensure your success. 

At MedicoExperts, we specialize in connecting you with world-class medical services. The team will handle everything, right meetings, tests, trips, language help, to follow-up.

MedicoExperts’ team is next to you. So you can concentrate on your health while we care for everything else. We want to make your treatment simple, quick, and easy.

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