And systemic cancers such as leukemia could not be treated by proton therapy alone. Proton therapy has been controversial when used routinely for some types of cancer, notably prostate cancer, because data comparing patient outcomes with other treatment forms is slim and because it is much more expensive than traditional radiation. As proton therapy has become more mainstream, he said, other types of creative radiation technologies have emerged that may prove to be as precise as proton therapy in some cases. “The pressure to improve other forms of radiation treatment technology in recent years has led to tremendous innovation all around. Nowadays cancer patients can receive excellent therapy with either proton or non-proton based radiotherapy.”

Source: Washington Post March 01, 2018 18:22 UTC