For years now, doctors have been using proton beams to trat cancer, these proton beams work in a similar way to radiation treatment. Now they want to use a proton therapy that is more precise and causes less damage to the surrounding tissue. The only problem is that to get a particle beam large enough to do the work you need a warehouse and a machine that costs $100 million to build. Because of this, proton-beam therapy remains a rarity, with only 37 working facilities worldwide, 10 of which are located in the U.S. Just 10,000 people were treated last year, less than 5 percent of suitable patients.

The science of proton therapy is pretty sound. for those of you who dont know, here is a synopsys of how it works from the National Association of Proton Therapy:

“There is a significant difference between standard (x-ray) radiation treatment and proton therapy. If given in sufficient doses, x-ray radiation techniques will control many cancers. But, because of the physician’s inability to adequately conform the irradiation pattern to the cancer, healthy tissues may receive a similar dose and can be damaged. Consequently, a less- than-desired dose is frequently used to reduce damage to healthy tissues and avoid unwanted side effects. 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.

Understanding how protons work provides patients and physicians with an insight into this mainstream treatment modality. Essentially, protons are a superior form of radiation therapy. Fundamentally, all tissues are made up of molecules with atoms as their building blocks. In the center of every atom is the nucleus. Orbiting the nucleus of the atom are negatively charged electrons.

When energized charged particles, such as protons or other forms of radiation, pass near orbiting electrons, the positive charge of the protons attracts the negatively charged electrons, pulling them out of their orbits. This is called ionization; it changes the characteristics of the atom and consequentially the character of the molecule within which the atom resides. This crucial change is the basis for the beneficial aspects of all forms of radiation therapy. Because of ionization, the radiation damages molecules within the cells, especially the DNA or genetic material. Damaging the DNA destroys specific cell functions, particularly the ability to divide or proliferate. Enzymes develop with the cells and attempt to rebuild the injured areas of the DNA; however, if damage from the radiation is too extensive, the enzymes fail to adequately repair the injury. While both normal and cancerous cells go through this repair process, a cancer cell’s ability to repair molecular injury is frequently inferior. As a result, cancer cells sustain more permanent damage and subsequent cell death than occurs in the normal cell population. This permits selective destruction of bad cells growing among good cells.

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 energy distribution of protons can be directed and deposited in tissue volumes designated by the physicians-in a three-dimensional pattern from each beam used. This capability provides greater control and precision and, therefore, superior management of treatment. Radiation therapy requires that conventional x-rays be delivered into the body in total doses sufficient to assure that enough ionization events occur to damage all the cancer cells. The conventional x-rays lack of charge and mass, however, results in most of their energy from a single conventional x-ray beam being deposited in normal tissues near the body’s surface, as well as undesirable energy deposition beyond the cancer site. This undesirable pattern of energy placement can result in unnecessary damage to healthy tissues, often preventing physicians from using sufficient radiation to control the cancer.

Protons, on the other hand, are energized to specific velocities. These energies determine how deeply in the body protons will deposit their maximum energy. As the protons move through the body, they slow down, causing increased interaction with orbiting electrons.

Maximum interaction with electrons occurs as the protons approach their targeted stopping point. Thus, maximum energy is released within the designated cancer volume. The surrounding healthy cells receive significantly less injury than the cells in the designated volume.

As a result of protons’ dose-distribution characteristics, the radiation oncologist can increase the dose to the tumor while reducing the dose to surrounding normal tissues. This allows the dose to be increased beyond that which less-conformal radiation will allow. The overall affects lead to the potential for fewer harmful side effects, more direct impact on the tumor, and increased tumor control.”

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 experiences a better quality of life during and after proton treatment.”

Scientists at the Compact Particle Acceleration Corporation in Livermore, California may have made a breakthrough.They are developing a 13-foot-long particle accelerator that costs about $30 million, which is $70 million less than current versions. Most accelerators use large magnets to generate the electromagnetic field that pushes charged particles. The magnets require 10-foot-thick concrete shielding and bulky hardware. CPAC’s prototype creates the electromagnetic field with electric lines, which don’t require massive shielding or large additional equipment. The new accelerator could be commercially available as soon as 2015.

1. PROTON BEAM

Magnets in the kicker pull positively charged protons from hydrogen plasma made by a duoplasmatron. A deflecting magnet collects the stream into proton bundles, which then enter the injector, where a microwave field speeds the particles toward the acceleration chamber at up to five million mph.

2. LASER

At nearly the same time, a laser fires a light pulse, which splits into fiber-optic cables of various lengths.

3. ACCELERATION CHAMBER

As a bundle of protons enters the acceleration chamber, a light pulse hits the chamber’s first pair of electric lines, triggering the release of electrons. The resulting electromagnetic field propels the proton bundle forward. The light pulse triggers the electric lines in a wave, sequentially accelerating the proton bundle until it’s traveling at 335 million mph—or about half the speed of light.

4. CLOCK

The entire process is controlled by a clock, which directs magnets to turn on or off and the laser to fire.

5. ROBOTIC CHAIR

Moving a patient is easier than moving a 13-foot-long particle accelerator. A robotic chair maneuvers a strapped-in patient in front of the proton beam to target a tumor from different angles.

Hopefully the next news we hear is going to be that the Proton Therapy tools are hand held.