It might sound like something out of science fiction, but proton therapy is drastically changing the lives of breast cancer sufferers. The targeted radiation treatment offers the potential for excellent recovery rates with few side effects. Results from a five-year clinical trial of patients who had been given proton treatment by breast cancer specialists placed the survival rate with no recurrence of in-breast cancer at 97%.
Perhaps just as significantly, the treatment offers breast cancer sufferers a way to receive radiation treatment with greatly reduced risk of radiation exposure to other organs or tissue, thus reducing side effects. The therapy works by targeting the specific tissue and cells where the tumor is, unlike traditional radiation therapy which impacts larger areas of the body. In fact, using this type of treatment means that your heart is not exposed to radiation at all and less than half of the radiation that would usually reach the lungs in conventional therapy actually does.
Given the very sensitive nature of the potential impact of other treatment options, the non-invasive aspect of proton therapy makes it even more appealing to those facing breast cancer. As much as 90% of patients report good or excellent cosmetic results throughout the breast cancer treatment and in the five years following according to the study.
A breast cancer specialist can advise on options in terms of proton cancer treatment. When you begin treatment, the breast cancer specialists will identify the areas of your body that need to be pinpointed and mark them. Like with MRIs you will need to stay completely still during the proton therapy. It does not last very long; the entire procedure takes a maximum of three quarters of an hour and the actual exposure to the radiation treatment is only a few minutes. Proton therapy does not hurt and you will not actually feel it.
This non-invasive cancer treatment is gaining ground and offering hope to breast cancer sufferers. A 2014 study predicted that there would be more than 27 proton centers in the United States by 2017, with revenues of more than $1.1 billion. If you are looking for advanced cancer treatment options, talk to your breast cancer specialist about whether proton therapy is right for you.