Launching a new era in radiation treatment, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has started treating patients at its Proton Therapy Center.

The first National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center to offer the treatment, and just the fourth facility in the country, the $125 million, 94,000-square-foot Proton Therapy Center at M. D. Anderson will provide eligible patients with the most advanced innovation in radiation therapy.

The high-tech treatment is triple the cost of traditional X-ray radiation, AP reports. But it's covered by Medicare and many insurers because its precision makes it more effective for attacking tumors located near vital tissue such as the eye or spinal cord.

In fact, proton therapy is the most precise form of radiation treatment available for some tumors, according to James D. Cox, M.D., head of the Division of Radiation Oncology at M. D. Anderson. Because of proton therapy's precision, it minimizes harm to surrounding tissues and optimizes treatment of the tumor.

"The arrival of proton therapy marks a milestone for radiation treatment at M. D. Anderson, with the precision, safety and effectiveness it brings to patients," says Cox.

"When I started in this discipline three decades ago, we had to give radiation to large fields of the body because we couldn't determine exactly where the tumor was. Now, with the evolution of imaging techniques, we can pinpoint where the tumor is and plan the depth of the radiation to the tumor. With proton therapy, we will be able to increase doses of radiation, preserve healthy tissue and treat more patients much more successfully," he continues.

Protons differ from traditional x-ray treatment because they deposit the highest dose of energy when they come to a stop in the body, and have a very low dose of energy when they enter and have no dose as it exits the body.

"This differentiation gives radiation oncologists greater control and effectiveness in directing and depositing high levels of destructive energies at the tumor," says Cox. "Because a radiation oncologist has the advantage of more precise targeting, the patient receives the most potent radiation treatment possible without damaging surrounding organs or tissue."

Conventional radiation therapy, however, remains a proven and vital cancer treatment, and most often will still be the preferred radiation treatment, says Cox.

To date, more than 40,000 patients at 25 centers around the world have received proton therapy treatment. When M. D. Anderson's facility is operating at full capacity, it can accommodate 3,500 patients a year, making it the largest in the world.

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