Treatments

Proton therapy for lung cancer

Treatment for lung cancer usually means surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Standard radiation treatments can work well. But they also expose nearby healthy tissue, such as your heart and esophagus, to radiation. This can raise your risk of major heart events later in life. 

Proton therapy is an advanced treatment that delivers radiation to the exact size, shape and depth of your tumor. It allows your physician to treat your cancer while helping to protect other tissue and organs in the area.

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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.

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“While getting a cancer diagnosis — or even two, in my case — is scary, I felt that my medical care team at Fred Hutch was there to fight for me. I feel very lucky to have these amazing resources and medical professionals there for me.”
— Dawn, lung cancer patient

Tough on Your Tumor. Easier on Your Body.

With standard X-ray radiation therapy, the radiation dose is highest right where the X-rays enter your body. The X-rays keep giving off radiation as they go through your tumor and the tissue beyond. This can lead to side effects, like heart damage or trouble swallowing. 

Until recently, patients and physicians accepted these side effects as a trade-off for treating the cancer. But with proton radiation therapy, we can reduce the risks. Proton therapy sends radiation exactly to your tumor. The goal is for less radiation to reach your healthy tissue nearby.

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.
These pictures show treatment for lung cancer. The colored areas get radiation. The black, gray and white areas do not. With proton therapy (left), less healthy tissue is exposed to radiation. With standard X-ray radiation therapy (right), more healthy tissue is exposed.
These pictures show treatment for lung cancer. The colored areas get radiation. The black, gray and white areas do not. With proton therapy (left), less healthy tissue is exposed to radiation. With standard X-ray radiation therapy (right), more healthy tissue is exposed.

Proton therapy uses a unique feature of protons: They give off the most radiation right before they come to a stop. Then the radiation falls to zero. That’s how we target treatment to your cancer and no further.

If you have lung cancer, the radiation oncologists at our proton therapy facility can decide if proton therapy is right for you and tell you more about this option.

Radiation oncologist A physician who has special training in using radiation to treat cancer.
Bragg Peak Diagram
Standard radiation therapy (shown in blue) gives off the most radiation right after the X-rays enter your body. X-rays keep giving off radiation as they move through your tumor and then through healthy tissue on the other side (called the exit dose). Proton therapy (shown in yellow) releases the most radiation inside your tumor. Then the protons come to a stop. There is little to no exit dose compared to standard radiation therapy.

Proton Therapy Facts

  • Radiation to the heart raises the risk of heart problems later in life by 7.4 percent per gray (a unit of radiation). Compared to X-ray radiation, proton therapy lowers the amount of radiation that reaches your heart and other tissue and organs nearby.
  • Pencil-beam scanning (PBS) is a proton technology that allows for even more accuracy. PBS “paints” your tumor with a lot of very thin, very precise beams of protons. The beams are accurate down to millimeters.
  • Proton therapy may be an option for you even if you’ve already had radiation for cancer. In fact, it may be your only option for getting more radiation treatment.
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved proton therapy for clinical use in 1988. More than 200,000 people worldwide have had this form of treatment.

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Our proton therapy team is here not only to treat your disease, but to listen to you and take care of you and your family. They are experts in proton therapy who focus on giving you personalized radiation treatment and who understand your questions, needs and concerns.

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