Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Proton Therapy for Cancer Patients

Introduction

Proton Therapy Carries Precise, Potent Punch Against Cancers for Patients at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Main Item

Proton Therapy / Proton Beam Therapy

Proton therapy or proton beam therapy is defined as a medical procedure, a type of particle therapy that uses a beam of protons to irradiate diseased tissue, most often in the treatment of cancer. Proton therapy's main advantage over other types of external beam radiotherapy is that as a charged particle the dose is deposited over a narrow range and there is minimal exit dose. Because proton beams can be delivered in higher doses and with far more accuracy, proton therapy typically can control cancer with fewer treatments than intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Fewer treatment complications mean that physicians can deliver higher doses of proton radiation to cancer sites, and an increased dose of proton radiation can improve the chances for a successful outcome.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia announces the availability of proton therapy, a precise form of cancer radiation that offers potentially life-changing benefits to children with brain tumors and other solid tumors. The Hospital's Cancer Center has recently begun using proton therapy treatment at the new Roberts Proton Therapy Center, a cutting-edge radiation oncology facility located across the street from Children's Hospital in Penn Medicine's Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.

Proton Therapy Helps Children with Cancer

With a child diagnosed with a brain tumor, parents often face a cruel dilemma. Conventional radiation treatment that offers survival often risks severe side effects, including damage to surrounding healthy tissue, as well as impairments to hearing, vision, growth and cognition. The after-effects may impede a child's daily life and may carry the prospect of lifelong disability and dependence. In fact, the side effects are potentially devastating enough that conventional radiation therapy is not given to children under age two.

The Roberts Proton Therapy Center is the only proton therapy facility in the country conceived with pediatric patients in mind from the earliest planning stages. Children who receive proton therapy in this $140 million state-of-the-art facility benefit from a long-standing collaboration between Children's Hospital and radiation oncologists at Penn Medicine. Young proton therapy patients experience family-focused pediatric care from a medical team who understands the unique needs of children with cancer, while providing emotional support for the entire family. Every detail has been considered-- from scheduling morning treatments for children who cannot eat prior to anesthesia, to offering a dedicated child-oriented waiting room and a dedicated pediatric anesthesia room.

"When the Roberts Proton Therapy Center's pediatric program is fully operational, the Cancer Center at Children's Hospital will be able to treat more children with proton therapy than all other American proton therapy centers combined, thereby reducing the negative impact of cancer therapy for children from the Philadelphia region and around the country" said John M. Maris, M.D., chief of Oncology and director of the Cancer Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

With its extensive program of comprehensive services, the Cancer Center is one of the largest pediatric cancer programs in the United States. All cancer care is available at one location, including doctor's visits, lab work and a full range of therapies. In its most recent listings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Children's Hospital first in cancer care among America's children's hospitals.

In addition to its application for brain tumors, proton therapy may also be appropriate for cancers of the head and neck, and tumors located near the spinal cord, heart and lungs sites perilously close to vital organs.

The advent of proton therapy provides a dramatic reduction in side effects when compared to conventional radiation. Because protons can be more precisely aimed and concentrated on a tumor, much less energy impacts normal tissue in front of and behind the cancerous mass. At the same time, doctors may increase the radiation dose focused on the tumor for optimum benefits.

Protons are positively charged particles, found in the nucleus of every atom, but made available in this therapy by stripping away electrons from hydrogen atoms. Although commonly manipulated by physicists in high-energy particle accelerators in research settings since the mid-20th century, protons are only gradually becoming part of medical practice. There are currently only seven proton therapy centers in the United States.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking second in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 460-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents.

• Photons vs. Protons for Treatment of Spinal Cord Gliomas : Long-term outcomes of spinal-cord tumor patients treated by radiotherapy for Gliomas which represent most spinal cord tumors.
• Proton Therapy: Treatment Information and Side Effects. Abstract: Information regarding Proton therapy, a method used to apply a specific radiation dose to a cancer tumor.

Attribution/Source(s):

This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and published on 2010/05/27 (Edit Update: 2020/11/16), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia can be contacted at chop.edu. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.

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Cite This Page (APA): Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. (2010, May 27 - Last revised: 2020, November 16). Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Proton Therapy for Cancer Patients. Disabled World. Retrieved December 13, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/health/cancer/treatment/proton-therapy.php

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