Proton therapy: precise radiotherapy that spares healthy tissue
An advanced form of radiotherapy that concentrates the dose in the tumour and reduces exposure of the surrounding organs.
What proton therapy is
Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiotherapy that concentrates the radiation dose directly in the tumour, with a rapid fall-off of dose in the surrounding healthy tissue. Unlike conventional radiotherapy, the proton beam releases its energy at the targeted depth and practically does not travel beyond the tumour, which reduces exposure of nearby organs.
It is not an experimental method: proton therapy has been used in oncology for more than 30 years, and leading European centres have treated thousands of patients, adults and children.
When it is considered
Proton therapy brings the greatest benefit when the tumour lies close to sensitive structures (brain, skull base, spinal cord, optic nerves), when high radiation doses are needed or when the tumour cannot be completely removed. Situations in which it is often indicated include:
- tumours of the central nervous system and skull base (meningiomas, chordomas and chondrosarcomas, vestibular schwannomas, craniopharyngiomas, ependymomas, low-grade gliomas);
- head and neck tumours, including forms more resistant to conventional radiotherapy;
- paediatric tumours, where protecting growing tissue matters most;
- eye tumours, for which protons are one of the reference methods;
- certain liver, pancreatic or pelvic tumours, and recurrences in previously irradiated areas, when further conventional irradiation would exceed safety limits.
Proton therapy centres
MedAustron (Wiener Neustadt, Austria): a particle therapy centre offering both protons and carbon ions, the latter for tumours more resistant to conventional radiation.
West German Proton Therapy Centre – WPE (Essen, Germany): the proton therapy centre of Essen University Hospital, one of the largest in Germany, with particular experience in treating children: more than 2,000 children treated, including very young patients.
Center for Proton Therapy at the Paul Scherrer Institute – PSI (Villigen, canton of Aargau, Switzerland): about 40 minutes north-west of Zürich, Switzerland’s only proton therapy centre, to which the University Hospital of Zürich also refers its patients. It is one of the pioneering proton therapy centres in Europe, where the spot-scanning technique was developed. It treats adults and children, including eye tumours.
In Germany, the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT) also provides proton and heavy-ion treatments.
What is important to know
Proton therapy is not suitable for every tumour and does not replace surgery when the tumour can be safely removed. At the same dose, the probability of tumour control is comparable to conventional radiotherapy; the real advantage is sparing healthy tissue and reducing long-term side effects. In some situations, such as glioblastoma, the benefit is reserved for very carefully selected cases.
Eligibility does not come from a list but from the review of the medical file by the centre’s multidisciplinary team. Our role is to prepare and send the file, obtain the team’s assessment and, if the therapy is indicated, coordinate the whole journey: translations, appointments, accommodation and support. See also our article on proton therapy.