What is proton therapy?

Proton therapy is an advanced form of non-invasive radiotherapy that delivers high-energy, positively charged ions (protons) to the site of a cancerous tumour.

Proton therapy can destroy cancer cells while minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

How does proton therapy differ from conventional radiotherapy?

Both proton therapy and conventional radiotherapy with x-rays irradiate cancers, damaging the DNA of cells with which the radiation interacts. While x-rays pass all the way through the patient, interacting with cells along the way, proton therapy deposits most of its cell-damaging energy within the tumour, minimising interaction with surrounding healthy tissues.

Reducing the radiation dose to healthy tissues can lessen short and long-term side effects of treatment and can also lower the risk of treatment-induced second cancer.

How does proton beam therapy work?

A particle accelerator, known as a synchrotron, generates a beam of high-energy protons. The required energy of the beam can be programmed to deliver the majority of its radiation dose to a precise depth and defined area, reducing radiation to surrounding healthy tissues

The proton radiation destroys cancer cells’ ability to divide and proliferate, thereby killing the cancer.

What type of cancers can be treated with proton therapy?

Proton therapy is used against solid cancers with defined borders.

The precise nature of proton therapy makes it a preferred option for cancers that are close to vital organs such as the eyes, brain and spinal column. Reduced radiation exposure to healthy tissues also makes proton therapy beneficial for children whose bodies are still growing and developing.

International research continues to investigate the efficacy of proton therapy against a range of other cancers including prostate cancer and breast cancer.

 

What are the side-effects of proton therapy?

By delivering less radiation to healthy tissues surrounding a tumour, proton therapy can have fewer and less severe side-effects than conventional radiotherapy.

Proton therapy is a painless, non-invasive treatment. Depending on the area of the body being treated and the size of the tumour, it can cause generalised fatigue and some hair loss, swelling or skin irritation at the treatment site.

Is there a difference between proton therapy and particle therapy?

Particle therapy refers to any of several forms of external beam radiotherapy using beams of energized ions for cancer treatment.

Proton therapy is the most common form of particle therapy. The other currently available form of particle therapy is carbon ion therapy.

Who will receive treatment at the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research?

The Centre will be able to treat around 600 people per year once fully operational. Around 30-50% of patients will be children, adolescents or young adults.

It has been recommended that treatment for Australians with certain cancer types be publicly funded. For more information about which cancer treatments have been proposed for public funding, visit the Medical Services Advisory Committee’s relevant Public Summary Document.

How much does proton beam therapy cost?

Proton therapy is more expensive than conventional radiotherapy.

The Medical Services Advisory Committee – a national, independent, non-statutory committee – has recommended to the Federal Government that proton therapy for certain cancers be publicly funded. A comparative planning process, based in Adelaide, is already in place to determine whether an individual would benefit from proton therapy instead of conventional radiotherapy.

Currently, patients who are deemed suitable candidates for proton therapy must travel overseas to access their treatment. They can apply to have this funded through the Federal Government’s Medical Treatment Overseas Program.

Can proton beam therapy be combined with other treatments?

Yes. Depending on the cancer being treated, proton therapy can be used alongside conventional radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and surgery.

Why is it called the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research?

Proton therapy can deliver highly localised radiation because of a phenomenon known as the ‘Bragg Peak’. This phenomenon is named after Nobel Laureate Sir William Henry Bragg who made the discovery while working at the University of Adelaide in 1904.

Sir William Henry Bragg and his Adelaide-born son and fellow Nobel Prize recipient Sir William Lawrence Bragg made significant contributions to scientific innovation across their distinguished careers, particularly in physics on which the field of radiotherapy is heavily based.