Proton radiotherapy is a type of radiotherapy that uses a gas pedal to introduce high-energy protons into the body, utilizing the physical properties of protons to achieve therapeutic effects. Compared with traditional radiotherapy modalities such as X-ray or Gamma Knife, proton therapy features a low-dose area to maximize the protection of normal tissues. Moreover, when treating deep lesions, it also avoids the gradual increase in the amount of irradiation that passes through from the surface to the deeper layers, thus reducing the radioactive dose.
Proton radiotherapy is now mainly used for treating children's tumors and deep tumors, etc. Because children's organs and tissues are still in the process of development, they are more sensitive to the side effects of radiotherapy than adults. And proton radiotherapy has the feature of low dose area, which can minimize the impact on normal tissues. In addition, compared with traditional X-ray or Gamma Knife radiotherapy, proton therapy has a better therapeutic effect, especially for those patients who have already received traditional radiotherapy with poor results.
The equipment for proton radiotherapy is very expensive and the construction costs are significant, so there are still some limitations to the use of proton therapy. In addition, proton therapy requires a larger space, as well as more sophisticated equipment and technicians than traditional therapy. Finally, proton therapy may cause difficulties in the treatment process, for example, technologies such as lesion-based radiotherapy are not mature enough and still have some errors.