Can proton therapy be used to treat children with cancer?
Yes. Children with a need for radiation therapy can benefit tremendously from proton therapy. Because their bodies are still growing, traditional radiation can be very harmful to children, causing serious growth problems and other complications. In addition, the traditional radiation may cause new tumors to develop at any time throughout the child’s life.
Yes, in fact proton therapy is particularly effective for children who need radiation therapy. Clinical studies indicate that proton therapy reduces the risk of growth and developmental problems, as well as secondary tumors which can occur years later. Because their bodies are small and still growing, the damage to nearby healthy tissue and organs from standard X-ray radiation can be harmful. This damage can cause growth abnormalities, reductions in IQ and other complications. New tumors can also develop later in the child’s life. A growing body of research is confirming the advantages of the use of proton therapy for children.
