The Photon Therapy Machine
The Photon Therapy Machine
The photon therapy machine is used to deliver proton beams that irradiate diseased tissue, most often cancer.photon therapy machine It differs from other external beam radiation therapies, such as three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), because it delivers a dose over a limited range of depth in the target tissue, resulting in minimal entry, exit, or scattered radiation dose to healthy tissues nearby.
Proton beam therapy may be delivered alone, or in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy.photon therapy machine In some cases, doctors use proton beam therapy to help destroy treatment-resistant cancer stem cells.
A course of proton beam therapy typically lasts for three to seven weeks, with treatments administered five days a week. Patients are positioned on a table or in a chair, and a device called a gantry rotates around the patient to deliver the radiation from various angles. Some machines have a special shaped particle guide to help direct the beam to the specific area of the tumor.
To create a proton beam, a machine known as a cyclotron or synchrotron speeds up protons. The protons are then steered by magnets into the treatment room and on to the specific part of the body being treated. A second set of magnets help shape the proton beam and redirect it to the correct target site.
When the therapists turn on the machine you will hear it hum, but you won’t feel anything during the treatment. You will be alone in the room while the radiographers make sure you are in the right position and that the machine is working correctly. They will watch you through a closed circuit television screen and can also see you with their own eyes.
Once they are satisfied that you are in the right position, they will take some X-rays to confirm that your positioning is accurate. Once they have verified this, they will leave you to begin your treatment.
During the treatment, you will be in the treatment room alone for up to 15 minutes or longer, depending on how long your treatment is. During this time, you will be able to relax or read, but you must keep still as the radiation will be delivered quickly and directly to your tumor site.
The clinitron system in Clatterbridge uses a single horizontal beam and an incline beam to deliver high energy proton beams to treat many different types of cancer. The incline beam is particularly effective for treating head and neck cancers, as it allows the therapists to irradiate the tumor from multiple angles without disturbing surrounding normal tissue. This makes it an excellent option for the treatment of children and young adults, and even pregnant women. It is also an ideal treatment for ophthalmic diseases, such as glaucoma and eye cancers. It is also suitable for certain gastrointestinal tumours.
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