Advantages of Proton Therapy Advantages of proton therapy

The biggest advantage of proton therapy is the remarkably better sparing of the healthy tissue which unavoidably will be irradiated as well.
The following figure shows a comparison of tissue exposure using conventional therapy and proton therapy.

 

The areas marked in yellow show the increased dose of radiation to the surrounding healthy tissue using X-rays and subsequently causing side effects. This illustration clearly shows the dose saving capability outside the marked target volume, which is e.g. in a depth of 15 - 25 cm, when using protons. This shows impressively that the normal tissue lying outside the target area is significantly better protected with the use of protons. As a consequence, in the frame of clinical studies the dose in the target volume will be more radical at the tumour and a better chance to cure can be achieved.