Proton Beam Therapy

What is proton beam therapy?

Proton beam therapy is an advanced form of external radiotherapy that uses high-energy proton beams instead of photon x-ray beams or electrons. Carefully measured doses of protons are delivered to the precise area needing treatment, using the latest IBA ProteusONE technology. This ensures that the delivery of proton beam therapy is highly accurate and prevents the risk of radiation reaching surrounding healthy tissue.

Proton beam therapy is currently available at Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales, Rutherford Cancer Centre North East and Rutherford Cancer Centre Thames Valley.

Proton beam therapy is planned differently depending on your type of cancer. In addition, patients with the same cancers don't have identical treatment, as this is individual to you and your body. The aim of proton beam therapy may be to:

Kill cancer cells
Reduce the likelihood of the cancer coming back
Shrink a tumour to slow its growth and provide relief from symptoms

Your personalised treatment plan usually takes place over days or weeks, and you may hear these sessions called 'fractions'. This is because the full dose of your treatment is divided into separate smaller doses.

Stress and anxiety are common for those who have been diagnosed with cancer, so it's important to us that you feel involved and supported throughout your treatment and beyond. Your treatment team of highly skilled professionals will deliver your treatment, they are there to help you, so if you have any questions or concerns, they are always on-hand to address them.

You may already have some information about proton beam therapy from the news or from someone you know who has had the treatment. It can be useful to gain an understanding from someone with first-hand experience, but it's important to remember that someone else's experience may not always apply to you, as everyone is different.

Get started with our treatment finder

Our team is here to support you on your cancer journey, with treatments and wellbeing services.

Everyone is different, so treatment options for certain cancers will vary from person to person. An oncologist will discuss which treatment options will be best for you.

This treatment finder is designed to help you find out more about certain types of cancers and how they might be treated at the Rutherford. To get started, simply click a gender option below, and an area of the body for more information.

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Billary System Bowel Breast Head & Neck Lung Lymphoma Neurological Oesophagus Prostate Sarcoma Urological

Skull Base Spine

Billary System Bowel Breast Gynaecological Head & Neck Lung Lymphoma Neurological Oesophagus Sarcoma Urological

Skull Base Spine

Head & Neck Lung Lymphoma Sarcoma

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Cancers we treat with proton beam therapy

Proton beam therapy can be used as a sole method for treating certain cancers or used in combination with other cancer services, such as chemotherapy, or to ensure that any remaining cancerous cells are destroyed following tumour removal surgery.

This type of treatment can be beneficial for cancers in certain areas of the body. You can find out more about the cancers we treat with proton beam therapy by using our treatment finder.

These are some of the body areas we can treat with proton beam therapy:

Bowel
Brain
Breast
Head & Neck
Lung
Lymphoma
Oesophagus
Prostate
Sarcoma
Skull base
Spine
Vaginal

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How does proton beam therapy work?

The organs and tissues of your body are made up of tiny building blocks, which are called cells. Proton beam therapy damages cancer cells in a treated area, this stops their growth and over time, these cells die.

Proton beam therapy uses beams of protons to target cancerous tumours. Protons are small particles of an atom, and a 'particle accelerator' (also called a 'cyclotron') is used to speed up the protons to produce the beam. The latest form of proton beam therapy is called intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) with pencil beam scanning, an advanced technique that allows each dose to be precisely targeted.

The proton beam's ability to be targeted during treatment allows for harder to reach tumours to be treated, as well as tumours that are in sensitive locations such as near the spine, in the brain, or affecting vital organs. Although it utilises high-energy protons to damage and kill cancer cells, the proton beam can be specifically targeted to a treatment area and made to 'stop' before affecting surrounding healthy tissue.

At the Rutherford Cancer Centres, proton beam therapy is delivered using the latest technology. During a treatment session, we will ensure you are as comfortable as possible, and the technology is designed to move around you, to treat you from any angle required.

The benefits of proton beam therapy

There can be many benefits of proton beam therapy, and these will vary from person to person. The benefits of proton beam therapy over conventional radiotherapy are:

Fewer side effects
More accurate targeting of the area to be treated
Treating hard to reach tumours that may be close to vital organs and tissue
Lower radiation exposure to healthy tissue beyond the treatment area
Greater planning flexibility with the potential for reducing the number of treatment sessions
Can be combined with other treatments and therapies

Watch Video

An overview of how proton beam therapy works

Proton beam therapy is highly accurate in targeting a treatment area. It can be used to treat hard-to-reach tumours, while lowering radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue and vital organs.

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Watch Video

Proton beam therapy - a consultant overview

Professor Roger Taylor, a clinical consultant oncologist at Rutherford Cancer Centres, gives an insight into how proton beam therapy works.

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Watch Video

Proton beam therapy at the Rutherford

Danica talks about her day-to-day as a Senior Therapy Radiographer at the Rutherford

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Watch Video

Meet Ed

Ed talks about his day-to-day as a Senior Physicist at the Rutherford

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Watch Video

Proton beam therapy in action - patient video

Video created & donated by Richard Lee-Brown

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Every single one of you where amazing so kind and compassionate throughout my treatment. I had 39 sessions of Proton Beam Therapy, spanning over nearly 8 weeks, most of which over lockdown, but my treatment continued in a very safe and secure environment.

Patient Satisfaction Survey - Rutherford Cancer Centre Thames Valley

August 13, 2020

I would like to say that everyone I dealt with at the Rutherford Centre made the whole treatment process a smooth one and far easier than I would ever have expected. For me, even amid this COVID mess, the world seems a better place and I leave with a spring in my step, a smile on my face and hope in my heart! The Proton Therapy machine is an amazing bit of kit.

Patient Satisfaction Survey - Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales

May 7, 2020

The level of service, care, consideration & support were exemplary. A ‘world class’ standard.

Patient Satisfaction Survey - Rutherford Cancer Centre Thames Valley

June 1, 2020

I accompanied my father for proton beam and chemotherapy. The clinic is beautiful - state of the art. And the staff are wonderful - professional and kind.

Patient Satisfaction Survey - Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales

January 1, 2020

The whole treatment was completed by very caring and polite and caring staff who did everything to ensure my comfort and care. The premises were immaculate in cleanliness.

Patient Satisfaction Survey - Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales

August 2, 2020

We're here for you

It’s important that you feel supported, not only during your treatment but also afterwards, to give your body the best possible chance to heal.

After treatments your recovery will be supported by regular follow-up checks with your consultant. These will vary depending on the area of your body that's been treated, and the amount of treatment you've received. Follow-up appointments are used to help keep track of your recovery, so if you have any concerns you will have the opportunity to discuss them with your consultant.

The diagnosis of cancer combined with possible side effects can affect how you feel. Your treatment team is here to support you, and we encourage you to talk to us. Sometimes just talking about your emotions can be of great help and if necessary, we can arrange for further advice and support.

Macmillan Cancer Support offers a wide range of information and support, as well as help with your practical, emotional, and financial needs. All telephone helplines are free and confidential, and interpreting services are also available.

If you have cancer, it's understandable you might be worried about coronavirus. Here is the latest guidance from Macmillan.

Freephone: 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9.00am – 8.00pm)
www.macmillan.org.uk

Find out more about proton therapy

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What is proton beam therapy?

Find out more about the cancers we treat

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Cancers we treat with proton beam therapy

These are some of the body areas we can treat with proton beam therapy:

How does proton beam therapy work?

The proton beam enters the body

The beam targets the tumour area

The beam stops

The benefits of proton beam therapy

An overview of how proton beam therapy works

Proton beam therapy - a consultant overview

Proton beam therapy at the Rutherford

Meet Ed

Proton beam therapy in action - patient video

Further information about proton beam therapy

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