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Can you receive additional proton treatments years after radiation?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Aug 1 8:52pm | Replies (16)Comment receiving replies
@brianjarvis
Thanks Brian for explaining this since it is often confusing for members to understand the whole process of how RT and ADT work together and work over extended period of time.
There is also very often confusion about proton and photon and sometimes members think that proton is somehow "milder" radiation but it causes the same damage , it is just more precise - it does less damage to non-targeted areas around. Radiation is radiation and many side effects are seen years down the road, unfortunately. đ
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@surftohealth88 Actually, both âradiation is radiationâ and âmany side effects are seen years down the roadâ need further explanation.
Photons and protons are as different as night and day.
> photons are massless packets of electromagnetic energy (like X-rays); photons lose energy continuously along their entire path.
> protons are heavy, positively charged subatomic particles; protons travel a specific distance, then create an intense burst of energy right at the end of their path.
The practical application of these concepts is significant.
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As for âmany side effects are seen years down the roadâ â> Remember that what radiation doesnât hit, it wonât affect. Much planning should be taken not to overshoot the prostate in order to avoid hitting nearby otherwise healthy tissues and organs (i.e., minimize entry-dose, scatter, and exit-dose). By applying radiation precisely and accurately, there should be no side effects seen years down the road.