Proton Beam Therapy for Prostate Cancer: An Overview

Abstract

Patients diagnosed with localized prostate cancer have many curative treatment options including several forms of advanced conformal Radiotherapy. Proton radiation is one such radiation treatment modality and, due to its unique physical properties, offers the appealing potential of reduced side effects without sacrificing cancer control. Patients of proton beam therapy (PBT) for prostate cancer had been continuously growing in number due to its promising characteristics of high dose distribution in the tumor target and a sharp distal fall-off. While theoretically beneficial, its clinical values are still being demonstrated from the increasing number of patients treated with proton therapy, from several dozen proton therapy centers around the world. High equipment and facility costs are often the major obstacle for its wider adoption. The picture will be clearer in coming decade as more and more centers throughout the world avail access to this technique and more data emerges on PBT.