More and more scientists around the world are engaged in the fight against cancer. New treatments are constantly being developed and existing ones are being improved. And recently, according to the Russian edition of Biophysics, Russian scientists have successfully completed a series of experiments on the destruction of cancer using proton beams. In addition, the experts were able to prove that this technique is much more effective and safer than conventional radiotherapy.
The use of proton therapy instead of standard radiation therapy has been actively discussed in the world community over the past decade. Protons, in contrast to electrons or gamma radiation, act more "targeted" and less damage healthy tissues when exposed to a tumor, which makes it possible to use them to fight cancer of the brain, bones and other organs, the surgical treatment of which is extremely difficult. The only problem is the high cost of the procedure, since it requires a particle accelerator. Olga Rozanova, an employee of the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Pushchino, says:
A group of scientists led by Svetlana Zaichkina from ITEB RAS carried out a series of experiments on mice with cancer. Experts irradiated mice with protons using the Prometheus complex, created by scientists from the Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Protvino, changing the number of proton therapy sessions, the duration of irradiation and the beam power. In the course of research, it was found that even short irradiation sessions had a beneficial effect on the health of mice - the growth of tumors in their bodies slowed down on average 5-6 times. Best of all worked "targeted" proton therapy, aimed only at the tumor itself - in such cases, over 80% of rodents got rid of the primary cancer. Mice, whose bodies were irradiated with a wider beam of particles, were able to cope with the tumor only in 45% of cases.
It should be noted that after getting rid of the primary cancer, tumor recurrence could not be avoided: 60% of the cured mice developed new tumors after a while. Nevertheless, mice that were irradiated with protons more precisely lived three months longer than their counterparts, and animals that did not have relapses lived for about two years. This is how healthy mice live on average.
Based on this, it was concluded that proton therapy works more efficiently and quickly than conventional radiotherapy, especially if its effect is limited only to the area within the tumor itself. In addition, the high efficiency of proton action means that treatment can be limited to two or even one session. This will reduce the cost and help save the lives of patients with brain tumors and other inoperable neoplasms.
Based on materials from RIA Novosti
VLADIMIR KUZNETSOV