Proton vs. Photon

Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) refers to the combination of chemotherapyTreatment of cancer patients with anticancer drugs. Commonly called 'chemo'. These drugs work by attacking cell growth or division. Often these agents are used in combination to take advantage of their different modes of attack on cell division. and radiationIn cancer biology: A cancer treatment in which high energy beams are used to kill cancer cells. Radiation can also cause genetic damage that can lead to cancer. As an example, skin cancer is believed to be greatly increased by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. therapy. CRT is considered to be the standard-of-care treatment for many cancers. The treatments can have side effects including fatigue, nausea, vomiting, skin changes, and organ-specific damages. The side effects are due to the non-specific nature of the therapy. In other words, the therapy kills not only cancer cells, but also nearby healthy cells. Since these side effects reduce a patient's quality of life, many researchers have been trying to find ways to lessen the damage to healthy cells.

A major area of study involves radiation therapy. Photon therapy and proton therapy are two types of radiation therapy. Photon therapy is more commonly used. Proton therapy has been around since the 1950s and is regarded by many experts as the more precise option, but it is not widely used. This is thought to be due to several reasons, including very high initial costs and technical difficulty. However, over the past years, technological advancements and decreasing costs have led to increased use of proton therapy.

A recent study was done to compare proton CRT with photon CRT. The study found that adults with non-metastaticThe term for a cancer that has spread beyond its point of origin. Metastatic disease is responsible for the majority of cancer deaths. cancer who were treated with proton CRT had less unplanned hospitalizations due to side effects, compared to those who were treated with photon CRT. However, there was no significant difference in disease-free survival or overall survival outcomes between the two groups.

This study suggests that using proton therapy instead of photon therapy may have benefits for some cancer patients and highlight an important area for further research.