Proton therapy offers cancer patients an alternative treatment.

Proton therapy is a form of radiation treatment that uses proton beams to treat cancer, according to an NIU press release.

“Proton therapy is the most precise and advanced form of radiation treatment today,” according to the National Association for Proton Therapy (NAPT). “It primarily radiates the tumor site, leaving surrounding healthy tissue and organs intact.”

When compared to conventional cancer treatment like Chemotherapy, proton therapy is non-invasive, painless and precise, according to an NIU press release.

Other forms of cancer treatment can cause significant side effects.

X-ray radiation treatment can also radiate healthy tissue surrounding tumors and Chemotherapy affects the entire body, according to NAPT. Proton therapy has few to no side effects compared to other forms of radiation treatment, making it much easier for the body to tolerate, according to NAPT.

“Proton therapy can be more precisely targeted to the tumor, allowing patients to receive higher, more effective doses, and greatly reducing damage to healthy tissue near the tumor,” according to Central DuPage Hospital’s Web site. “Studies have shown it is effective in treating prostate, breast, lung, colorectal, head and neck and brain tumors, among others.”

Also, proton therapy can be used in combination with other forms of treatment, including as a surgery follow-up, according to NAPT. The treatment can take from one day to seven weeks, depending on the location of the tumor, according to NAPT.

In addition, proton therapy is already covered by nearly all insurance providers and U.S. Medicare, according to NAPT. The treatment is more cost-effective than surgery, but costs more than conventional radiation treatment, according to NAPT.

“Proton Therapy was first proposed in 1954, but primarily had been available for very limited use,” according to NAPT. “There was no hospital-based treatment centers in the world until the Proton Treatment Center opened in 1990 at Loma Linda University Medical Center.”