Oct 21 2008
Despite the fact that proton therapy has been around for years, it is still a relatively uncommon way to treat cancer. Currently there are only five operating proton therapy clinics in the United States -- one each in Boston, MA; Loma Linda, CA; Bloomington, IN; Houston, TX; and Jacksonville, FL. To date, fewer than 20,000Americans have been treated with protons (particles found in the nuclei of atoms) in these five facilities. Far more are treated every year with other techniques, such as x-ray radiation.
Where proton therapy is uncommon, however, it is also uncommonly good. Protons give the most conformal dose, meaning that the beam can be carefully shaped to match the outlines of the tumor, minimizing the risk to the surrounding healthy tissue. Still, for years proton therapy has been primarily reserved for treating some of the most complicated cancers, such as those in the head or neck, because it is extremely reliable at removing hard-to-reach tumors growing on highly sensitive tissues like the brain or spine.
Now proton therapy is entering a new phase, says Jay Flanz of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University. At the conference, he will discuss how the type of cancers that are being treated with proton therapy has expanded as the underlying technology has improved. He will also discuss a looming increase in the number of therapy centers. There are as many facilities under construction today as there are currently operating, he says. Part of the reason for this increase is that proton therapy centers require large facilities equipped with particle accelerators. These facilities may cost $100 million or more to build. But where once this equipment had to be fabricated piece-by-piece, there are now commercial companies that can produce brand-new facilities from the ground up.
Flanz's talk, "Proton Cancer Therapy" is at 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday October 21, 2008, in Room 312 of the Hynes Convention Center.