Whether you are seeking information for yourself or a loved one, proton therapy at the Indiana University Health Proton Therapy Center may be an optimal course of treatment. Some of our most frequently asked questions include:
Radiation oncologists can treat with two primary methods: Brachytherapy (implanting radioactive materials in the body) or External Beam Therapy (using high powered equipment to generate beams that penetrate the body from outside). Proton radiation is a form of external beam radiation treatments.
No, proton therapy is not experimental. Proton therapy has been used in the U.S. since 1946, and it is an established cancer treatment recognized by the government and regulatory agencies.
Radiation therapy is commonly given five days a week for several weeks. Normal cells and cancer cells often respond differently to radiation; the normal cells typically are better able to recover from small doses. We give small doses over an extended time period to allow normal cells to recover while inflicting lethal damage to the cancer cells. For most patients with prostate cancer, the prescription is for 44 treatments (about nine weeks). All other patients will have a prescription written by the physician and is based on the specific treatment plan.
To produce a proton beam, a treatment facility must have a particle accelerator. This equipment can be very costly, thus the expense to build a proton therapy clinic/center can be in the millions of dollars. Although great advances have been made in proton technology in recent decades, only two proton treatment facilities were in operation by the 1990s. Today, there are only seven such facilities in operation in the U.S.
Indiana University’s investment in a cyclotron facility and interest in physics research dates back to the 1930's when the university constructed its first cyclotron. The cyclotron used at the IU Health Proton Therapy Center was constructed in the early 1970’s and was used primarily for physics research. As government funding for physics research dried up in the mid-1990’s, IU began to look at other uses for the cyclotron facility.
A planning team was created to develop what was then the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute and new use for the cyclotron. The first patient was treated at MPRI in February 2004. Today, the IU Health Proton Therapy Center stands as a joint venture between Indiana University Health and the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation.
Proton therapy is covered by numerous health insurance plans including Medicare. Our staff can assist you in working with your insurance company to obtain authorization.
The radiation does not remain in the body. Your body does not become radioactive, and there is no risk of radiation exposure to others.
Yes, there are times that it is appropriate for a person to receive proton and photons so that a higher, more curative dose may be achieved. This is called a proton boost. It may also be appropriate for a person to receive photon radiation to achieve pain relief or slow a fast growing tumor, until proton therapy can be delivered. Proton therapy can be used in conjunction with chemotherapy.
Depending on the amount of cancer within a particular lymph node and the type of cancer that is present, a patient may be at risk for harboring microscopic nests of cancer cells within the nodes or surrounding tissue. The objective of the treatment plan is to treat both the primary tumor and any areas where microscopic tumor cells might hide. By giving some of the treatment with proton, the total X-ray dose can be reduced substantially, thus reducing the risk of complications and permitting treatment of potentially involved lymph nodes, which would be missed if X-rays were not used at all.
Patients with prostate cancer that are seeking some form or radiotherapy over surgical intervention are typically treated with only one type of treatment – protons or photons.
