Ernest Rutherford

Proton, stable subatomic particle that has a positive charge equal in magnitude to a unit of electron charge and a rest mass of 1.67262 × 10−27 kg, which is 1,836 times the mass of an electron.

Proton is made up of two up quarks(+4/3) and one down quark(-1/3) and due to this the net charge is +1 on protons and that is the reason protons are positively charged. While neutrons are made up of one Up quark(+2/3) and two down quarks(-2/3) due to this the net charge is 0(zero) on a neutron.

A proton has positive charge of 1, that is, equal but opposite to the charge of an electron. A neutron, like the name implies, is neutral with no net charge. The charge is believed to be from the charge of the quarks that make up the nucleons (protons and neutrons).

Protons and Electrons A proton carries a positive charge (+) and an electron carries a negative charge (-), so the atoms of elements are neutral, all the positive charges canceling out all the negative charges. Atoms differ from one another in the number of protons, neutrons and electrons they contain.

The word proton is Greek for “first”, and this name was given to the hydrogen nucleus by Ernest Rutherford in 1920. In previous years, Rutherford had discovered that the hydrogen nucleus (known to be the lightest nucleus) could be extracted from the nuclei of nitrogen by atomic collisions.

The idea of using protons in medical treatment was first suggested in 1946 by physicist Robert R. Wilson, Ph. D. The first attempts to use proton radiation to treat patients began in the 1950s in nuclear physics research facilities, but applications were limited to few areas of the body.

Patients with low to medium risk prostate cancer experienced a success rate of 99%, while those with high risk prostate cancer experienced a success rate of 76%.

Proton therapy was FDA approved for use in the U.S. in 1988. Proton therapy has been around for almost 60 years; tens of thousands of patients have been treated, reimbursed by Medicare and many other private insurers.

Proton therapy appears to be safer and more effective than conventional radiation therapy, because it can deliver a high dose to a very specific area, with minimal impact on surrounding tissues.

What side effects you experience will depend on what part of your body is being treated and the dose of proton therapy you receive. In general, common side effects of proton therapy include: Fatigue. Mouth, eating and digestion problems.

Some types of cancer for which proton therapy might be recommended are breast, esophageal, eye, gastrointestinal, gynecological, head and neck, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, spine, soft tissue, lymphoma, sarcomas and many pediatric cancers.

Proton Therapy is highly indicated for radiation treatment of pediatric cancers due to the high risk of children to develop secondary cancers from their initial treatment later in life. Studies have consistently demonstrated that proton therapy patients experience a higher quality of life during and after treatment.

Proton therapy is covered in the United States by Medicare and many insurance providers. MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center accepts several major insurance plans as well as Medicare and Medicaid.

Particularly good candidates for proton therapy are patients with solid tumors near sensitive organs, such as brain, breast and lung cancers. While, for recurrent, pediatric and ocular cancers, proton radiation is viewed as the standard of care.

Proton therapy does not cause pain, though some patients with physical limitations may experience some discomfort due to positioning. The actual treatment and delivery of the proton beams only takes a couple of minutes.

Proton Therapy Side Effects Because the technique can mean less exposure to the radiation, side effects can be less than those of traditional radiation treatment. Side effects can develop gradually after treatment, and might include: Sore, reddened skin around the treatment area that can look and feel like a sunburn.

Proton therapy costs range from about $30,000 to $120,000. In contrast, a course of treatment with radiosurgery costs about $8,000-$12,000, Heron said. IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy) costs about $15,000.

CC BY 4.0. A type of radiation treatment called proton beam radiation therapy may be safer and just as effective as traditional radiation therapy for adults with advanced cancer. That finding comes from a study that used existing patient data to compare the two types of radiation.

In the balance between the proimmunogenic and immunosuppressive effects of radiation on the immune system, proton therapy is a promising modality that can potentially remove components from the immunosuppressive side while adding to the proimmunogenic side.

Where to get PT ?

Which types of cancers can be treated with proton therapy? Proton therapy is most commonly used at MSK to treat head and neck cancer and pediatric cancers. We also are using it increasingly to treat spine tumors, breast cancer, sarcoma, brain tumors, and prostate cancer.

CyberKnife Radiosurgery Both CyberKnife and Proton are forms of radiation, however CyberKnife has many advantages over proton beam radiation as a prostate cancer treatment. CyberKnife is the most advanced treatment available, using image-guided robotics to destroy tumors while preserving the surrounding tissue.

Treatment centers As of August 2020, there are over 89 particle therapy facilities worldwide, with at least 41 others under construction. As of August 2020, there are 34 operational proton therapy centers in the United States.

The proton ensemble costs Rs 550 crore, meaning the therapy is expensive. At Apollo’s Chennai centre, patients shell out between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 30 lakh for the entire course.