Proton therapy centres and cost

Oncology specialists have high hopes for proton therapy. The study of this therapy is still ongoing, but proton beam therapy is already widely used in the treatment of specific localized cancers: brain, lung, prostate, etc. Because of its safety for healthy tissues, proton therapy is considered one of the optimal types of radiation therapy in pediatric oncology.

What’s innovative about proton therapy?

The next step in the development of cancer care is hadron (proton and ion) therapy. The main difference that this type of radiation has brought to the fight against cancer is the targeted effect on the tumor while sparing healthy cells. Proton beam therapy allows surgeons to destroy diseased tissues at great depths. Accelerated protons or ions attack the cancer cells precisely. The surgeon adjusts the equipment so that the radiation zone coincides with the boundaries of the tumor and does not affect healthy tissues. The beams of protons attack the DNA of the cancer cells and kill them.

Thus, proton therapy can cure cancer in areas close to critical radio-sensitive organs, as well as irradiate pathologies of extremely small size. Another important advantage of the new technology is a significant reduction of the duration of irradiation course and, consequently, of the recovery period. For example, the course of proton therapy consists of 1-10 sessions compared to 30 sessions of conventional radiation therapy. In addition, the treatment with protons is associated with a much lower risk of disease recurrence and complications development. Statistically, the effectiveness of proton therapy is 80-90%, which is a very good indicator. Also, proton therapy is in some cases more effective than radiation therapy in terms of irradiating radioresistant tumors.

Advantages of proton therapy

The advantages of proton therapy include the following:

• In proton therapy, only the tumor is targeted, so that outstanding treatment results can be expected
• By targeting the tumor precisely, side effects can be reduced
• Safety and tolerability allow treatment of the elderly and weakened people
• Reduced risk of secondary cancer in children and young adults after proton therapy
• It allows patients with contraindications to surgery to undergo treatment
• Generally, it does not require hospitalization and allows for daily treatment on an outpatient basis
• It allows patients to maintain a high quality of life

The cost of treatment in proton therapy centers

The proton therapy centers are the real breakthrough in cancer treatment because proton beam therapy is the most gentle option of cancer care with minimal side effects.

This type of therapy is especially suitable when children with brain, neck, spine and other tumors are being treated. In the period of active growth, the negative impact that any serious treatment can have on the body must be minimal. Proton therapy centers provide exactly this level of safety for a child's health.

The cost of a full course of radiation therapy depends on the country, the hospital, the number of sessions of treatment, so it is calculated individually for each patient. With that said, the cost of proton therapy for brain tumors starts at 45,000 EUR, the cost of proton therapy for pancreatic cancer starts at 44,475 EUR, and the cost of proton therapy for breast cancer starts at 44,526 EUR.

If you would like to know more about proton therapy centers and the cost of treatment with proton therapy, please contact Booking Health since the cost of the medical program may vary depending on the disease, indications, number of sessions, and other individual peculiarities.

Treatment abroad during a lockdown with Booking Health

People with chronic illnesses and oncology have been affected by the worldwide lockdown because some of them are not able to go abroad for treatment due to restrictions. Besides, treatment organization itself is a quite complicated process, specifically when all the current limitations are present.

Booking Health helps patients go through this difficult process by providing the services of issuing the medical visa, offering the interpreter for the whole duration of treatment, dealing with the paperwork and all possible issues that may potentially arise.

If you want to receive more information about the proton therapy centres and the cost of treatment with proton therapy, please fill out the request form on the Booking Health website.

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