Advanced cancer treatments are developing all the time, and one of the most effective available is cancer proton therapy. Unlike conventional radiotherapy, which can cause damage to health tissues surrounding a tumor, proton therapy has little adverse side effects and can be used for prostate cancer, breast cancer, brain cancer (including glioblastoma), neck cancer, and others. If you haven’t already, here are the top three reasons to ask your physician about particle therapy.

Less Damage to the Body

Conventional radiation therapy targets cancer cells as well as those around them. For example, breast cancer survivors can have radiation present in their lungs or heart. Men who receive traditional radiotherapy for prostate cancer may have trouble maintaining an erection after treatment. Proton therapy, by contrast, is able to target just the cancer cells, meaning that there is little to no radiation present in otherwise healthy cells. Nearly all men who receive cancer proton therapy report continued sexual activity, and those with treatment for breast cancer have little to no radiation in the heart or lungs after treatment.

Recurrence is Rare

Studies show that individuals who receive proton treatment are significantly less likely to have rates of cancer recurrence. In instances of low risk prostate cancer treatment, only 1% of patients had a recurrence within five years, while only 6% of those with moderate risk cancer experienced a recurrence. Even in the case of high risk cancer, only 26% of patients had a recurrence. Proton beam radiation is also an effective option for recurring breast, prostate, or brain cancer, even for those who have had traditional radiotherapy in the past.

Treatment will Look like Traditional Radiotherapy

For those who have already undergone conventional radiation therapy, a proton radiation therapy session will look very similar. Treatment visits should typically only last around 30 minutes, and much of this time is spent setting up the equipment. The time spent delivering the protons to the tumor only averages about a minute and a half.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be frightening, but there are advanced cancer treatment options with high rates of success. Talk to your physician to find the best-fit treatment, and know that there are choices available.