For men with prostate cancer, the side effects of conventional radiation treatment can have serious quality of life implications—particularly relating to urinary, bowel and erectile function.
Proton therapy kills prostate cancer cells with a very high radiation dose. But because the protons are also highly targeted, they deliver more radiation to the prostate cancer and less to healthy organs surrounding the prostate gland, like the rectum, bowels and bladder. As a result, proton therapy minimizes the likelihood of side effects.