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Proton Therapy

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Submitted By amanlobana
Words 1352
Pages 6
Topic: Benefits of Proton Therapy
Outline Format: Topical
Benefits of Proton Therapy in Cancer Patients
Cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the US, accounting for nearly one of every four deaths. About 13 million Americans have cancer and more than 1 million are diagnosed every year. Although there are different treatments available that kills cancer, proton therapy provides a better quality of life during and after cancer treatment than others. Today I am here to inform you on the benefits of proton therapy in cancer patients. Proton therapy is a type of radiation treatment that uses a focused, high-energy proton beam to kill cancer cells with precision and accuracy. This way the surrounding healthy tissues are not damaged and the patient lives life to the fullest while recovering faster and having minimal to zero side effects. Proton therapy will play a crucial role in the future of cancer treatment. It is the most advanced cancer radiation treatment available till date. In a December 2008 article written by Glennda Chui published in symmetrymagazine.org, Chui quotes Dr. James Slater, in charge of radiation medicine at Loma Linda (home to the U.S.’s first hospital-based proton therapy cancer treatment center), that, “working with protons, that this was really the way to go—that X-rays had been brought to their limits and we needed a new particle.” Today I will discuss three benefits of proton therapy in cancer patients; treatment of harder to reach tumor which traditional radiation therapy cannot, reduced collateral damage, and better life after treatment.

I. Firstly, I would like to explain how proton therapy helps in treatment of harder to reach tumors or tumors in delicate organs like eyes and brain, which traditional radiation therapy cannot.
A. Traditional radiation methods like X-rays , gamma rays or high-energy electromagnetic

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