In all treatments the spacer preserved enough distance between the tumor and healthy tissue during the particle therapy. Having successfully reduced the radiation exposure to the intestines, they were able to use a full dose of radiation therapy. There were no serious complications observed with this treatment, and they confirmed that the spacers safely disintegrated afterwards.
Particle therapy to treat malignant tumors is a promising new radiation treatment, and it is available in a growing number of clinics. Initially this spacer will be used mainly to treat bone tumors that are covered by insurance for particle therapy treatment. The team hopes to expand the use of this spacer alongside the expansion of insurance coverage for particle therapy, ultimately using it to treat conditions such as pancreatic and liver cancers.
Currently two kinds of treatment are used in clinical settings: proton therapy (using protons) and heavy-ion radiotherapy (using carbon ions).
Doses of concentrated radiation in particle therapy: Particle beams display a physical trait called the Bragg Peak, which can be used to focus the dose of radiation to target the tumor. This also enables us to reduce the impact on healthy tissue.
Biological effects of particle therapy: Compared to X-rays, proton beams and carbon ion beams are very effective. If we take the relative biological effect on organisms as 1, the effects of proton and heavy ion beams are 1.1 and 3, and there are high expectations for effective treatment against radiation-resistant tumors.
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