Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that uses a single beam of high-energy protons to treat various forms of cancer. Just as with conventional radiation, protons treat tumors by directing radiation into the tumor site where doses of radiation destroy cancerous cells.
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Proton therapy is a precise form of external beam radiation therapy. Both conventional (x-ray) radiation therapy and proton therapy attack tumors by preventing cancer cells from dividing and growing causing them to die. Conventional radiation therapy uses x-rays which enter and exit the body, depositing unnecessary radiation to healthy tissue that surrounds the tumor being treated and potentially causing damage. Proton therapy uses the unique characteristics of protons to target the tumor with precise accuracy and because protons stop at the target, any exit dose of radiation is eliminated. Proton therapy makes it possible for physicians to treat the tumor with a higher, more effective dose, and reduce damage to nearby healthy tissue. Provision CARES Proton Therapy features Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS), which further increases the accuracy and advantages of proton therapy. For more information on proton therapy and PBS, visit the What is Proton Therapy? page on our website.
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Provision CARES Proton Therapy has been treating patients with proton therapy since 2014. We have treated patients from over 39 states and six countries. We currently have two cancer center locations featuring proton therapy and are setting new standards of excellence for industry best practices. We are not only growing our Provision CARES Cancer Network of centers offering proton therapy, but we are also the only proton therapy center in the world who manufacturers proton therapy equipment with our ProNova SC360, making us an expert in the proton therapy industry.
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If you are diagnosed with cancer you should ask your doctor about proton therapy. A consultation with a Board-Certified Radiation Oncologist can help you decide if this is the right therapy for you. You can call to schedule your consultation by visiting our treatment location page and finding the center that’s closest to you.
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Many cancer types can be treated with proton therapy. Proton therapy is a non-invasive treatment for cancer, beneficial for treating patients with a localized tumor where cancer has not spread to other parts of the body, or in situations where tumors cannot be removed surgically. Proton therapy may also be an option for cases that require radiation therapy in addition to surgery, or may be combined with other treatment options.
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Yes. In fact, The American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) ranks using proton therapy to treat solid tumors in pediatric patients with the highest importance (ASTRO Model Policy, 2014) because a child’s tissue is more sensitive to radiation, resulting in higher potential for negative effects. Since proton therapy reduces the dose of radiation received to nearby healthy tissues and organs, using proton therapy in children, adolescents and young adults has been shown to lower long-term negative side effects in many cancer types. Visit our pediatric cancer page to learn more about the benefits of proton therapy for pediatric cancer.
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The goal of our proton therapy team is to make your treatment as comfortable as possible. During treatment you will be positioned on a table, where our team of radiation therapy doctors will use various cushions and positioning tools to keep you from moving out of position, while still maintaining a level of comfort. While the time under the proton radiation is just a few minutes, total treatment time is usally 20-30 minutes for each session. Patients can request music to play during their sessions to personalize their visits and provide more comfort.
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A treatment session usually lasts a total of 20-30 minutes. First, your team will position you to receive your treatment. Then, you will receive your proton therapy dose which typically takes just a few minutes to deliver.
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Most patients have treatments that last 6-8 weeks with five sessions per week. Since side effects are minimal, patients can typically maintain their normal lifestyle and continue to work and go through their daily routines during treatment.
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Since negative side effects of proton therapy are minimal, most patients can continue to work throughout the course of their treatment.
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Yes. Proton therapy can be used in conjunction with other cancer treatment modalities, such as surgery and chemotherapy.
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More than 800 clinical studies have been published on proton therapy, with the number of studies expanding every year. To learn more about the benefits of proton therapy for specific cancer types, please visit our Proton Benefits page.
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According to the National Assocation of Proton Therapy, more than 170,000 patients have been treated with proton therapy worldwide, and more than 75,000 of those were in the United States. The Provision CARES Cancer Network of centers has treated over 2,800 patients with proton therapy since 2014.
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Because proton therapy delivers a minimal radiation dose to nearby healthy tissue and organs, there are fewer side effects when compared to conventional radiation therapy. Depending on the tumor site, patients may experience skin irritation and hair loss in the areas of direct contact with the proton radiation. Most patients can continue to work, exercise and maintain their daily routines during the course of their treatment. For more information on the benefits of proton therapy, visit our Proton Benefits page.
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Most patients report no pain or discomfort during proton therapy treatment. You cannot see or feel the proton beam and treatments usually only last a few minutes.
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Proton therapy can have a higher initial cost than conventional radiation. If proton therapy is covered by the patient’s insurance, and the same number of treatments are prescribed for either conventional radiation or proton therapy, then the patient’s out of pocket costs will be the same. By decreasing or eliminating the amount of radiation delivered to healthy tissue, proton therapy can decrease acute and long-term side effects that would add to the overall healthcare costs. There are also other costs to consider such as the patient’s ability to continue working while going through proton therapy rather than conventional radiation due to a higher quality of life.
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For a local recurrence, meaning cancer has come back in the same area or near the original site, treatment with conventional radiation is not typically an option. This is because the nearby tissue may have already received the maximum lifetime radiation dose it can withstand during the initial course of cancer treatment. Because proton therapy delivered with pencil beam scanning has precise capabilities to deliver radiation directly to the tumor with minimal dose to nearby healthy tissue and organs, it can often be used to treat local recurrences. Physicians can plan the path of proton therapy with precision to reach the cancer target while avoiding the previously irradiated healthy tissue.
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Yes. Proton therapy was FDA approved for use in the United States in 1988.
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Proton therapy is not experimental. Patients have been treated with proton therapy for more than 65 years. The first proposal to use protons for medical treatment was in 1946 by Physicist Robert R. Wilson, PhD. By the 1950s, the first patients were being treated with proton radiation and there would be much research and development to continue over the next 40 years. The FDA approved proton therapy for use in the United States in 1988. The first proton therapy center in the U.S. opened in 1990. In 2014, Provision CARES Proton Therapy Knoxville became the 13th center in the country, followed by Provision CARES Proton Therapy Nashville in 2018, the 29th proton center in the U.S. There are a total of 83 proton therapy centers around the world.
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Pencil beam scanning (PBS) allows radiation oncologists to treat a tumor using the proton beam at a precisely configured range and adjust the intensity of the beam to achieve the appropriate dose, then stop the beam in its tracks, limiting the collateral damage. As a result, vital organs surrounding the cancer are better protected from unnecessary radiation, thus minimizing or completely avoiding treatment-induced side effects, such as nerve damage with resulting neurologic dysfunction, as well as avoiding other complications like breathing difficulties, feeding tubes, nausea, impotence, secondary cancers and more.

PBS technology has truly revolutionized proton therapy, offering increased flexibility in dose shaping and improved dose conformality, enabling clinicians to treat larger and more complex tumors. With PBS, a proton beam spot moves by magnetic scanning, while the beam intensity is adapted simultaneously, so that protons are delivered to one specific spot at a time about the size of a dry-erase marker tip within the patient’s body. By connecting a series of these spots, layer by layer, the beam can precisely conform to the shape of the tumor.

Previous methods delivered the dose of radiation to the entire site at one time, making it difficult to accommodate for variations in tumor structure or volume. Pencil beam scanning reduces the radiation dose by 25 percent when compared to existing methods of proton delivery.
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Radiation therapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses high energy waves to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Two types of radiation therapy that use external beams are traditional (x-ray/IMRT) radiation and proton radiation. Traditional radiation therapy uses photons, while proton radiation therapy uses protons. Due to the unique characteristics of protons, proton radiation enters the body at a lower dose and delivers the highest dose in the tumor with no exit dose. Unlike traditional radiation therapy, protons allow for minimal radiation to nearby healthy tissue and organs.
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Radiation therapy works by causing damage to the cancer cells’ DNA. This DNA damage prevents the cancer cells from dividing and growing, causing the cells to die. Radiation can be delivered to cancer cells in several ways. External beam radiation therapy, like proton therapy or x-ray therapy, works by using a machine to direct an external beam of high-energy radiation through the body to the tumor. You cannot see or feel the beam. Internal radiation therapy, also called Brachytherapy, uses a needle or catheter to implant a radiation source through a sealed seed, ribbon or capsule directly into or near the tumor inside your body. These implants can be permanent or temporary. Systemic radiation can also be used by giving a radioactive drug orally or intravenously which then travels throughout the body.
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In general, radiation therapy is not painful. Some patients might have slight discomfort during treatment. The most common side effects of radiation treatment are fatigue and skin irritation. These can vary depending on the type of radiation therapy you receive.
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The most common side effects of radiation therapy are fatigue, as well as skin irritation and hair loss at the area being treated. Long-term side effects will very depending on the type of radiation therapy you receive and your individual diagnosis. Radiation therapy using protons can minimize the dose of radiation received by nearby healthy tissue and organs, thereby reducing side effects as compared to conventional radiation therapy.
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External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is the most common form of radiation therapy. Both conventional radiation, using x-rays or photons, and proton therapy radiation, using protons, use a machine to generate and deliver an invisible high-energy beam of radiation through the body to the tumor site. Unlike photons used in conventional radiation, protons are positively charged particles with unique characteristics that allow for a minimal dose of radiation to be received in nearby healthy tissue and organs.
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Internal radiation therapy, also referred to as brachytherapy, is a form of radiation therapy that involves implanting radioactive material directly into the tissue close to or within the tumor. These radioactive materials are sealed inside a sead, pellet, wire or capsule.
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Brachytherapy, sometimes referred to as internal radiation therapy, is a form of radiation therapy that involves implanting radioactive material directly into the tissue. These radioactive materials are sealed inside a seed, pellet, wire or capsule, then delivered inside the body through a needle or catheter. Brachytherapy implants can be temporary or permanent.
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Radioactive implants are used in brachytherapy, also referred to as internal radiation therapy. These radioactive materials are sealed inside a seed, pellet, wire or capsule and are implanted into the tissue using ultrasound guidance.
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CyberKnife uses a lightweight linear accelerator (LINAC) mounted to a robotic arm to deliver a dose of radiation to the targeted tumor. While CyberKnife does provide the ability to administer multiple radiation beams, it still uses x-ray, or photon, radiation therapy which has a higher entrance and exit dose than compared to proton therapy. Protons have the unique characteristic if being positively charged particles, allowing for a minimal entrance dose of radiation. Also, since proton radiation stops at the tumor, there is no exit dose. This results in fewer side effects as compared to any form of conventional, or x-ray, radiation therapy.
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Still in development, FLASH radiation therapy is a new technology being tested in a number of European science institutions. It delivers an ultra-high dose rate of radiotherapy, given to the body in seconds rather than minutes. It has not been tested in humans at this time.
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