Proton Therapy In Singapore - Prostate Cancer, Nasopharyngeal Cancer, And Much More

Proton Beam Therapy In Singapore

Proton Beam Therapy has been available in Singapore since 2023.

How Does Proton Beam Therapy Work?

During proton beam therapy, a machine that is outside of the patient’s body delivers radiation to the targeted cancer cells through the skin. It works by accelerating protons to high speeds and directing them into the targeted tumour area. The energy from these protons is released within the tumour, delivering a controlled dose of radiation. The unique property of protons allows for a more focused delivery of radiation, reducing the risk of damage to nearby healthy tissues and organs.

What Does Proton Beam Therapy Treat?

Proton beam therapy may be used to treat cancers such as:

• Cancerous and non-cancerous brain tumours.
• Pediatric cancers
• Cancers of head and neck cancers, e.g. nasopharyngeal cancer
• Lung cancer.
• Liver cancer.
• Bile duct cancer.
• Esophageal cancer.
• Prostate cancer.
• Sarcomas (soft-tissue and bone cancers).

An estimated 60% of cancer patients require radiation therapy. Of these, it is estimated that about 20% may benefit from proton beam treatment. These are patients who have cancers that have not metastasized, or are near important organs, and child cancer patients.

What Are The Advantages Of Proton Beam Therapy For Cancer Treatment?

Proton beam therapy treatment has certain key advantages compared to conventional radiotherapy. Some of the advantages are:

1. Precision Targeting

Proton beam therapy allows for highly precise targeting of tumours, minimising damage to surrounding healthy tissues and organs. This precision is crucial, especially for treating tumours located near critical structures.

• Less radiation dose is delivered to nearby healthy cells.
• There is no entry and exit radiation dose. The radiation is only released only at the targeted depth in the body.
• As a result of there being less radiation delivered to surrounding tissues, delivery of higher dosage of radiation to targeted areas is possible.
  
   

2. Reduced Side Effects

The focused nature of proton beam therapy results in fewer side effects compared to traditional radiation therapy. Patients often experience less damage to surrounding tissues, leading to a better quality of life during and after treatment.

3. Enhanced Treatment For Paediatric Cancers

Children suffering from cancer are in particular at high risk from complications from conventional radiation treatment, as they have a smaller body size and their bodies are still in the development stages. Possible serious side effects from conventional radiation treatment that impact lifetime quality of life, include stunted growth, infertility, and impaired cognitive abilities (depends on where the cancer is located).

Proton beam therapy is particularly beneficial for treating paediatric cancers, as it reduces the risk of long-term side effects and damage to developing tissues and organs.

4. Improved Quality Of Life

With fewer side effects and a lower risk of complications, patients undergoing proton beam therapy often experience an improved overall quality of life during and after treatment.

5. Post-Treatment Cancer Recurrence Is Less Likely

There are studies that suggest that traditionally radioresistant tumours like chordomas and sarcomas have a higher cure rate than traditional x-ray treatments.

How Much Does Proton Beam Therapy In Singapore Costs?

Proton beam therapy is covered by all major Integrated Shield Plans, so if you have purchased an Integrated Shield Plan, your treatment will most likely be covered. Fortunately, Medishield and Medisave is also accessible for this service.

Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) Using Proton Therapy 

A new form of proton therapy is Stereotactic Body Proton Therapy (SBPT). This combines the precision of both proton therapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). This will be available in Singapore at Proton Therapy SG, Singapore Advanced Medicine from December 2024 after completion of commissioning efforts. 

A common issue with SBPT and SBRT is movement during treatment that can negate the precision of these techniques. Fortunately, Singapore Advanced Medicine’s proton therapy machine at Proton Therapy SG is able to deliver proton therapy quickly and has an on board CT imager that can acquire images in less than a minute due to Varian technology. This mitigates motion acquisition issues.