Proton Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer.

#Proton therapy can provide effective and precise doses of radiation.

The nature of pancreatic cancer, combined with the location of the pancreas and its proximity to other sensitive tissues, can make the disease challenging to treat. In most cases, surgery is the first method of treatment of pancreatic cancer to be considered. However, in many cases surgery cannot be performed or is insufficient to control the disease. In such patients, proton therapy for pancreatic cancer treatment can be helpful as well as chemotherapy.

Pancreatic cancer treatment may include surgery alone, a combination of surgery and proton therapy, or proton therapy alone, as well as chemotherapy.

Even when it is possible to completely remove the adenocarcinoma with surgery, the chance of successful pancreatic cancer treatment is very low; proton therapy for pancreatic cancer may be used after surgery to improve disease control, before surgery to shrink the pancreatic tumor, leading to more effective surgery, or in lieu of surgery. In most cases, chemotherapy is also considered. 

The Difference Proton Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer Can Make

While some pancreatic cancers can be successfully treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, traditional forms of radiation can sometimes prove problematic. That's because the organs that surround the pancreas – including the small intestine, kidneys, spinal cord and stomach – cannot withstand high doses of radiation. 

Thanks to the highly precise nature of proton therapy for pancreatic cancer, however, the radiation dose is concentrated at the site of the pancreatic cancer, sparing other healthy organs exposure to radiation, and decreasing the risk of side effects.

And, since higher doses of radiation can be delivered to the pancreas with a lower risk of damage to other organs, the chance of destroying the pancreatic cancer is potentially greater.  Please inquire curtispoling@gmail.com it may make a difference.