One of the most common debilitating health issues facing modern Americans today is that of cancer. Able to manifest throughout the body with minor to severe symptoms, advanced cancer treatment options have quickly risen to the forefront of multiple medical industries as a must to keep the populace healthy. Whether it’s prostate cancer, brain cancer or breast cancer, proton therapy has proven to be one of the most effective, long-term options for a healthy and sound body.
What Are Common Forms Of Cancer?
There are multiple forms of cancer that can strike at any time in your life and require medical attention to either reduce or remove entirely. Prostate cancer affects millions of Americans year after year, with breast cancer proving one of the most frequent occurrences in multiple gender and age populations. The beginning of 2015 saw more than 30 particle therapy centers cropping up around the world, adding up to a total of 80 treatment rooms.
How Common Is Breast Cancer?
The past few years have seen a significant upsurge in breast cancer awareness, identification, health care coverage, prevention and advanced cancer treatment options. Estimates show over 180,000 new cases erupting each year, with the mortality rate depending on genetic factors as well as available advanced cancer treatment options. While it’s important to check with a breast cancer doctor or nurse to ensure you aren’t showing early signs of breast cancer, self check-ups can be done in a matter of minutes in the privacy of your home.
What Is Proton Therapy?
Fortunately, medical technology has made incredible strides over the past few decades. Proton therapy, in particular, is considered a highly successful method of treating breast cancer and similar diseases — it’s a type of radiation that stops at a very specific point in the targeted tissue, with conventional radiation often moving beyond the tumor and causing additional problems. This means that, on average, no radiation will make it to the heart and there will be at least 50% less radiation to the lung compared to older methods.
How Long Does Proton Therapy Take?
The average proton therapy session will begin four to six weeks following surgery or chemotherapy, with a period lasting six weeks in most medical centers. Researchers have reported impressive figures concerning proton therapy treating prostate cancer — 99% of those with low-risk, 94% with intermediate risk and 74% of those with high risk showed no signs of cancer recurrence after five years of follow-up procedures.
How Common Is Proton Therapy?
Proton therapy is one of the most common advanced cancer treatment options. More than 67,000 people worldwide have received proton therapy at centers around Europe, The United States and Asia — it was originally used to treat patients back in 1955 within research settings, though was rather limited due to older imaging techniques being unable to accurately pinpoint tumor development in patients.
Is Proton Therapy Right For Me?
No single treatment for breast cancer is right for everyone. If you suspect you have a form of cancer or simply want to keep a firm eye on your health, getting a check-up at a cancer treatment center is essential to pinpointing any potential problems before they get worse. You can even do a check-up on yourself periodically by referring to breast cancer prevention lists — remember that odd lumps, unusual sensitivity or discoloration could be sign of a deeper problem. Additional health factors, such as genetic predisposition or smoking, can increase these problems. Visit your regular doctor and ask how you can keep yourself healthy today.