Treatments

Proton Therapy for Gastrointestinal Cancers

Proton therapy is an advanced treatment option that precisely delivers radiation to the size, shape and depth of your tumor. This approach allows your doctor to radiate the cancer while limiting damage to the surrounding tissue. For this reason, proton therapy is particularly good for treating tumors near healthy organs, including gastrointestinal tumors.

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Gastrointestinal Refers to the stomach and intestines. Also called GI.

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Gastrointestinal Tract Tumors Most Appropriate for Proton Therapy:

  • Esophagus
  • Stomach
  • Pancreas and bile duct
  • Liver and liver metastases
  • Rectum
  • Anal canal
  • Select recurrent and metastatic cancer

Gastrointestinal (GI) tumors can occur anywhere along the GI tract. Treatment for GI tract tumors often requires a combination of radiation therapy and either chemotherapy or surgery. The combination of these therapies can be difficult for patients to tolerate. In some cases, standard radiation isn’t a viable treatment option for patients because it would cause too much damage to healthy tissues and organs near the tumor. For these patients, proton therapy can be an effective treatment option because protons deposit more energy directly to the tumor and significantly reduce the radiation dose to healthy tissues. Patients treated with proton therapy for GI tract tumors often experience fewer side effects. 

Chemotherapy Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It may be given alone or with other treatments. Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be given by mouth, injection, infusion or on the skin, depending on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. It may be given alone or with other treatments, such as surgery, radiation therapy or biologic therapy. Gastrointestinal Refers to the stomach and intestines. Also called GI. Metastatic A metastatic cancer is a cancer that has spread to other areas of the body by way of the lymph system or bloodstream. Radiation therapy The use of high-energy radiation from X-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that travels in the blood to tissues throughout the body. Side effects A problem that occurs when treatment affects healthy tissues or organs. Some side effects of cancer treatment are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, pain, decreased blood cell counts, hair loss and mouth sores.
Image of esophageal cancer being treated with a more precise dose of radiation delivered with proton therapy (left). X-ray radiation (right)
Studies for esophageal cancer have found that the more precise dose delivered with proton therapy (left, above) reduced the likelihood of lung complications compared to x-ray radiation (right, above) · PubMed

Fred Hutch physicians, Drs. Jing Zeng and Smith Apisarnthanarax have conducted a study on protons and esophageal cancers. The aim of this study was to present the dosimetry, feasibility, and preliminary clinical results of a novel pencil beam scanning (PBS) posterior beam technique of proton treatment for esophageal cancer in the setting of trimodality therapy.

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Image of anal cancer being treated with a more precise dose of radiation delivered with proton therapy (left). X-ray radiation (right).
In the case of anal cancers, protons (left, above) can spare healthy bowel tissue from exposure to radiation. · PubMed

    Active Breathing Coordinator

    Tumors such as abdominal cancers tend to move when the patient breathes. To better control tumor movement and enable cancer patients to best benefit from proton therapy, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - Proton Therapy is a pioneer in using an advanced breath-holding device for proton therapy that aids patients in their ability to control breathing during radiation treatment. The Active Breathing Coordinator (ABC) device assists patients with systematically holding their breath before or after they have breathed out. During this brief time, the ABC makes the tumor a stationary target for the proton beam.
     

    Proton Therapy Facts

    • Pencil-beam scanning allows treatment to conform the size, shape and depth of your specific tumor, accurate within millimeters.
    • Proton therapy reduces the radiation exposure to surrounding tissue and organs.
    • Proton therapy is often the only radiation treatment available if you’ve already received radiation from a previous cancer occurrence.
    • Treatments are safe, noninvasive and painless for most patients, helping speed recovery and maintain lifestyle.
    • As of 2022, more than 200,000 people worldwide have received proton therapy at centers in Europe, Asia and the United States.

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