Proton therapy is a type of external beam radiotherapy that uses ionizing radiation. In proton therapy, medical personnel use a particle accelerator to target a tumor with a beam of protons. These charged particles damage the

The newest form of proton therapy, pencil beam scanning, delivers therapy by sweeping a proton beam laterally over the target so that it delivers the required dose while closely conforming

A large study on comparative effectiveness of proton therapy was published by teams of the University of Pennsylvania

Historically, proton therapy has been expensive. An analysis published in 2003 determined the relative cost of proton therapy is approximately 2.4 times that of X-ray therapies. Newer, less expensive, and dozens more proton treatment centers are driving costs

The first suggestion that energetic protons could be an effective treatment method was made by Robert R. Wilson in a paper published in 1946 while he

It was estimated that by the end of 2019, a total of ~200,000 patients had been treated with proton therapy. Physicians use protons to treat conditions in two broad categories:
• Disease sites that respond well to higher doses of radiation, i.e.,

Proton therapy is a type of external beam radiotherapy, and shares risks and side effects of other forms of radiation therapy. The dose outside of the treatment region can be significantly less