Proton therapy may be effective for treating esophageal cancer in elderly

Researchers have recently found that proton beam therapy is a type of particle therapy that uses a beam of protons to irradiate a diseased tissue and in combination with chemotherapy may be effective for treating esophageal cancer in elderly patients. According to study, proton beam therapy can help improve outcomes in patients aged 65 years and above, to undergo aggressive treatment for their esophageal cancer. Standard X-ray radiation therapy techniques include 3-D conformal radiation and intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Researcher Scott Lester at Mayo Clinic said that elderly patients experience more post-treatment heart and lung problems and are at higher risk for death after surgery than younger patients after receiving a combination of pre-operative chemotherapy and radiation therapy.