Cancer is no longer the deadliest disease. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and monoclonal antibody therapy are the well-known cures of cancer. The proton therapy is a relatively new and uses the most advanced technology to provide radiation treatment in a precise manner. This cuts the risk levels of radiation down by not affecting the healthy tissues that surround the damaged or malignant cells.
The University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute, a $125-million project, is one of the few therapy centers, which uses proton therapy to cure cancer. It celebrated its first anniversary recently and has treated almost 200 cancer cases since its opening. The institute claims to have treated rare and unusual types of cancer that cannot be treated with other familiar methods.
Patients who have undergone this treatment do not complain of side effects or any kind of pain. The therapy takes up to 20 min with the radiation for 3 min and takes 4 to 6 weeks to complete the cure. This therapy uses large magnets to control and focus the proton beams, which are rather heavy particles. This is why the therapy room looks like the insides of star wars studio with massive rotation machines.
Source:firstcoastnews
Image source: llnl