About Proton Therapy

The following excerpt was derived form the National Association For Proton Therapy.
The power of protons is that higher doses of radiation can be used to control and manage cancer while significantly reducing damage to healthy tissue and vital organs. Both standard x-ray therapy and proton beams work on the principle of selective cell destruction.  The major advantage of proton treatment over conventional radiation, however, is that the equipment used provides greater control and precision and, therefore, superior management of treatment. The patient feels nothing during treatment. The minimized normal-tissue injury results in the potential for fewer effects following treatment, such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. The patients experience a better quality of life during and after proton treatment.

Proton Therapy treatment can be found only at five medical facilities nationwide. This excerpt was derived from Wikipedia: Proton therapy requires heavy equipment - weighing into the hundreds of tons. The Orsay proton therapy center, in France, uses a synchrocyclotron weighing 900 tons in total. Proton therapy for ocular tumors is also available in Sacramento at the UC Davis Proton Facility. Now on line as well is the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute at Indiana University.