New treatment for breast cancer

Earl Warner January 3, 2023

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The world’s first trial of pioneering proton therapy for cancer patients has begun in the United Kingdom released.

over there Proton therapy It is radiation therapy for tumors that is already used to treat tumors that develop near vital organs, such as the brain, heart, or spinal cord. unlike X rayused in conventional radiotherapy, Protons can be targeted very precisely To hit only cancer cells, protecting the surrounding healthy tissues, reducing toxic effects and with it the possibility of developing secondary tumors in neighboring organs.

So far, it has been successfully used to treat tumor diseases in areas that are difficult to reach with X-rays without affecting other parts of the body, such as brain tumors, skull base, and head and neck tumors.

It has also proven to be a great tool for i pediatric cancers Because the children’s organism, in a state of constant growth, is more sensitive to X-rays and more susceptible to unwanted side effects. The results of specific clinical studies have shown how proton therapy can reduce, on the one hand, the risk of developmental defects and developmental problems, and on the other hand, the long-term risk of developing secondary tumors.

After the treatment has been used successfully in other cancers, the NHS (National Health ServiceBritain decided to test its effectiveness on breast cancer patients.

The clinical trial, the first in the world on this type of tumor, aims to Comparison of the effects of proton therapy with those of conventional radiotherapy For patients at long-term risk of cardiovascular disease.

Although radiotherapy has been shown to be very effective for breast cancer in the past (around 30,000 patients undergo treatment each year in the UK), it can cause serious problems for patients whose affected lymph nodes are very close to the heart and in general. , for subjects of the heart. For these individuals, proton therapy may be a much better and less risky option.

So now it remains to test its effectiveness.

trial conducted in Christie’s Hospital, Manchester lo and behold University College Hospital London, will involve 192 patients at 22 UK sites and many doctors, scientists and researchers from the University of CambridgeThe Institute of Cancer Research London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

The first three patients have already undergone treatment.

One of them, Kim Jones, said in an interview with The Guardian that she was very happy to have accepted the trial.

Jones, 44, had previously undergone chemotherapy followed by a mastectomy and lymph node removal and suffered heart complications. He has now completed a course of proton therapy, which he describes as “excellent and relaxing”.

The British study could therefore lead the scientific community to make a quantum leap in the treatment of tumors, expanding the use of proton therapy and making the most of its already proven advantages.