Proton Beam Therapy Cost in India

The Average cost of Proton Beam Therapy in India usually starts $25000 however, it may go up to as much as $50000. It depends on the hospital charges and the fee charged by the doctors. which includes initial investigations & specialists screening, stay in a room wherein the patient’s assistant or relative can also stay with the patient, Doctor/Surgeon fee, Nursing care, Medicines & Consumables, airport pick-up & drop.

Proton Beam Therapy Cost in India

Overview

Proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy — a treatment that uses high-powered energy to treat cancer and some noncancerous tumors. Radiation therapy using X-rays has long been used to treat these conditions. Proton therapy is a newer type of radiation therapy that uses energy from positively charged particles (protons).

Proton therapy has shown promise in treating several kinds of cancer. Studies have suggested that proton therapy may cause fewer side effects than traditional radiation, since doctors can better control where the proton beams deliver their energy. But few studies have compared proton radiation and X-ray radiation, so it’s not clear whether proton therapy is more effective at prolonging lives.

Proton therapy isn’t widely available, although new proton therapy centers are being built in the India and in other countries.

Why it's done

Proton therapy is used as a treatment for cancer and some noncancerous tumors. Proton therapy may be used as the only treatment for your condition. Or it may be used in conjunction with other treatments, such as surgery and chemotherapy.

Proton therapy may also be used if the cancer remains or comes back after traditional X-ray radiation.

Proton therapy is sometimes used to treat:

  • Brain tumors
  • Breast cancer
  • Cancer in children
  • Eye melanoma
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Head and neck cancers
  • Liver cancer
  • Lung cancer
  • Lymphoma
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Pituitary gland tumors
  • Prostate cancer
  • Sarcoma
  • Tumors affecting the spine
  • Tumors in the base of the skull

Clinical trials are investigating proton therapy as a treatment for several other types of cancer.

Risks and benefits

Compared with x-ray radiation therapy, proton therapy has several benefits:

  • Usually, up to 60% less radiation can be delivered to the healthy tissues around the tumor. This lowers the risk of radiation damage to these tissues.
  • It may allow for a higher radiation dose to the tumor. This increases the chances that all of the tumor cells targeted by the proton therapy will be destroyed.
  • It may cause fewer and less severe side effects such as low blood counts, fatigue, and nausea during and after treatment.


But there are also some drawbacks to proton therapy:

  • Because proton therapy requires highly specialized and costly equipment, it is available at just a few medical centers in the United States. Find a list of centers that currently offer proton therapy.
  • It may cost more than x-ray radiation therapy. Insurance provider rules differ about which cancers are covered and how much a person needs to pay. Talk with your insurance provider to learn more.
  • Not all cancers can be treated with proton therapy.

How you prepare

Before you undergo proton therapy, your health care team guides you through a planning process to ensure that the proton beam reaches the precise spot in your body where it’s needed.

Planning typically includes:

1.Determining the best position for you during treatment. During radiation simulation, your radiation therapy team works to find a comfortable position for you during treatment. It’s important that you lie still during treatment, so finding a comfortable position is vital.

To do this, you’ll be positioned on a table that will be used during your treatment. Cushions and restraints are used to place you in the correct position and to help you hold still. Your radiation therapy team will mark the area of your body that will receive the radiation. You may receive a temporary marker or permanent tattoos.


2.Planning the path of the protons with imaging tests. You may undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) scans to determine the area of your body to be treated and how best to reach it with the proton beams.

How does Proton Therapy work?

In Proton beam therapy centers, proton radiations like other forms of external beam therapy necessitate the involvement of a treatment team that includes a radiation oncologist, physicist, dosimetrist, radiation therapist, and nurse.

A radiation oncologist is a professionally trained physician who examines the patient and decides the best treatment, treatment area, and radiation dose.

The radiation oncologist, radiation physicist, dosimetrist, and radiation therapist collaborate to determine the most effective manner to give the necessary dose. Imaging exams are crucial in the delivery of this medicine, and a diagnostic radiologist is also crucial.

To ensure that treatment is provided accurately, the radiation physicist and dosimetrist do extensive treatment calculations. Radiation therapists are highly qualified technologists who administer radiation treatments on a daily basis.

Radiation therapy nurses are part of your treatment team who deal with your day-to-day problems and assist you to manage the treatment’s side effects.

Working:

  • Protons are accelerated in a synchrotron or cyclotron machine. The high speed of protons generates a lot of energy. The protons are propelled to the required depth in the body by this energy. The protons then deliver the tumor’s targeted radiation dose.

  • There is less radiation dose outside of the tumor with proton therapy. X-rays continue to provide radiation doses after they depart a person’s body in traditional radiation therapy.

  • This means that radiation destroys healthy tissues in the vicinity, perhaps producing negative effects.

What will the patient feel during and after the procedure?

You typically undergo proton therapy five days a week for several weeks. However, in some situations, you may undergo only one or a few treatments, depending on your condition. The actual proton therapy treatment may take only a few minutes but expect to spend 30 to 45 minutes preparing before each treatment session.

You may also undergo weekly CT scans to see if the dose you receive needs to be recalculated based on changes in weight, or tumor size and shape.

During the process, you should not experience any pain or discomfort. There may be some side effects afterward, which will be controlled by your radiation oncologist in the same way as any other course of radiation would be.

Other factors that may affect how well you feel following treatment include the size of the dose and whether you are also receiving chemotherapy.

Temporary hair loss and skin reactions in the direct route of the radiation are common side effects, as is fatigue, especially when a vast area is being treated.

Radiation therapy has the potential to create side effects. These issues may arise as a result of the treatment or as a result of radiation damage to healthy cells in the treatment region.

The frequency and severity of adverse effects will vary depending on the type of radiation used, the dose given, and the body part being treated. Inform your doctor and/or nurse so that they can assist you in managing your symptoms.

Radiation can have both immediate and delayed side effects. Early side effects occur during or immediately following treatment. They usually go after a few weeks. Fatigue and skin problems are two common early adverse effects.

Sensitive, red, itchy, or puffy skin may develop in the treatment region. Dryness, itching, peeling, and blistering are some of the other alterations.

Proton therapy is administered with a machine called a gantry that directs the proton beams at precise points on your body. You’ll hear the machine when it’s turned on and delivering the dose of proton therapy. However, you won’t be able to feel the radiation during your treatment.

After proton therapy

Once your treatment session is complete, you can go about your day. You won’t be radioactive or give off radiation.


Side effects of proton therapy usually develop over time. You may experience few side effects at first. But after several treatments you may experience fatigue, which can make it feel like your usual activities take more energy or that you have little energy for everyday tasks. You may also notice a sunburn-like skin redness in the area where the proton beams are directed.

The Most Important Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long do the side effects of proton therapy last?
A: For individuals with head and neck cancer, side effects from proton therapy may last for two to three weeks after treatment. Maintain the oral, pharyngeal, and skincare regimens recommended by your healthcare provider, as well as a healthy diet.

 

Q: What is the success rate of proton beam therapy?
A: Proton therapy is at least as effective as conventional radiation therapy, but with fewer side effects. In some cases, proton therapy is not only the best but also the only option. It has been proven to be successful in curing or controlling many cancers when used appropriately. Success after radiation therapy depends on the type and stage of cancer treated. In certain cancers like chordomas, brain tumours or liver cancers, control rates with proton therapy can be as high as 85-90%.

 

Q: How long is proton therapy recovery?
A: After a proton treatment session, most people resume their normal activities right afterward. Within 2-8 weeks, many people report seeing results from this therapy. The tumor’s response to proton therapy relies on the type of cancer you have and its location within your body.

 

Q: What are the disadvantages of proton beam therapy?
A: The following are some of the most common side effects of proton therapy: Fatigue. In the treated area of the body, hair loss occurs. Skin that is reddened around the area of the body that is being treated.

 

Q: Is proton beam therapy painful?
A: Proton therapy does not cause pain, though positioning may cause discomfort in some patients with physical limitations. It simply takes a few minutes for the proton beams to be treated and delivered.

 

Q: What is the difference between radiotherapy and proton therapy?
A: Traditional radiation delivers x-rays, or beams of photons, to the tumor and beyond it. This can damage nearby healthy tissues and can cause significant side effects. By contrast, proton therapy delivers a beam of proton particles that stops at the tumor, so it’s less likely to damage nearby healthy tissues.