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Proton therapy for brain tumors

Living a full teen life after a brain tumor. Meet Kailey.

Brain tumors are surrounded by delicate and vitally important normal tissues. Treating these tumors with conventional radiation therapy poses risks of neurological deficits, hormonal deficiencies and intellectual impairment.

 

Because proton therapy is so precise, brain tumors can be carefully targeted with higher doses of radiation, and they pose less risk of long-term injury to surrounding tissues. There are also fewer immediate side-effects to the brain, helping you maintain a better quality of life and cognitive function during treatment.

 

Some of the brain cancers we treat with proton therapy for brain tumors include

  • Glioblastoma multiforme and high grade gliomas
  • Low grade gliomas
  • Meningiomas
  • Pituitary and pineal tumors
  • Craniopharyngiomas
  • Tumors of the base of skull / chordomas
  • Recurrent brain tumors
Patients at the New York Proton Center receive Pencil Beam Scanning, a highly sophisticated and the most modern form of proton therapy. As the name implies, Pencil Beam Scanning uses an extremely narrow beam of protons to “paint” the intended radiation dose onto the tumor. Our Pencil Beam Scanning technology can target different parts of the tumor with different radiation dose levels, while better protecting the surrounding normal tissues from irradiation.

Not all proton therapy is created equal

Most proton centers use “volumetric” beams that deliver a fixed quantity of energy to the entire tumor. But the pencil beam scanning technology at the New York Proton Center delivers “intensity-modulated proton therapy,” or IMPT.

 

Widely considered the most advanced form of proton therapy, IMPT can target different parts of the tumor with different radiation dose levels based on the prescription and tumor’s exact location, while better protecting the surrounding normal tissues from irradiation. That’s particularly valuable when treating the most complicated tumors, those residing in the fissures of the head, neck and skull base.

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How can we help?

Want to find out if proton therapy might be a good fit for you or your patient? Call us at 833-NYPROTON (833-697-7686) or fill out the appropriate form below.