How it works - What is Proton Therapy? - SAMSUNG PROTON THERAPY CENTER

Principles of Proton Therapy

It is the next generation radiotherapy that uses physical properties of the proton beam

It is a next generation radiotherapy that uses the physical properties of “Bragg Peak” derived from the proton beam.

Bragg Peak is a distinct property of protons and when it reaches cancer tissues after penetrating through the normal tissues in our body, it releases an immense amount of radiation energy to kill the cancer cells and subsequently, it disappears instantly.

[Bragg Peak]

With the existing X-ray treatment, some radiation energy is absorbed by the normal organs because the radiation energy becomes continuously absorbed as the energy penetrates through the normal tissues to reach the cancer tissues. Therefore, a high dose of radiation is transferred to the normal tissues when treating tumors located deep within the body.
For radiotherapy that uses X-rays, its fundamental method involves shooting radiation from many directions to disperse the radiation to the surrounding normal tissues while focusing the radiation transfer to the tumors only. Although it is only a low amount of radiation, the radiation becomes widely distributed to the surrounding normal tissues.
With proton therapy, the radiation instantly disappears after the “Bragg Peak.” Therefore, the normal tissues surrounding the cancer tissues do not become exposed to radiation. In addition, side effects can be significantly decreased during and after the treatment.
After the proton therapy device was first introduced to treat cancer patients in 1990, the supply of this device has been increasing throughout the world due to its astonishing advancements in technology. As a next generation radiotherapy device that has surpassed X-ray treatment, the proton therapy device is expected to treat more cancer patients going forward.

[FAQ] What types of radiotherapy are there?

What types of radiotherapy are there?
Photon Beam	Particle Beam
X Ray Gamma Ray	Proton beam Carbon beam Neutron beam