Proton Therapy for Pediatric Solid Tumors

For children with certain types of solid tumors, proton therapy may be an effective, safer treatment option.

Proton therapy uses charged particles called protons to bring cancer-fighting radiation energy directly to tumors, often reducing harm to healthy tissues around tumors. The energy from the protons destroys cancer tissue, shrinking or eliminating some tumors.

Compared with traditional X-ray radiation therapy, which delivers energy to a larger area around the tumor, proton therapy confines more of the radiation to the tumor itself. This precision is especially important when treating children and young adults, because radiation damage to healthy tissue may lead to long-term side effects in the future.

Proton therapy, also called proton beam therapy, is just one of many types of highly effective treatments we use to treat cancer. It may also be combined with other cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, or other drug therapies. Your child’s oncology care team has the expertise to select the treatment or combination of therapies that’s right for your child.

Conditions treated with proton therapy

Proton therapy is used to treat many types of cancer, including:

Why choose us for proton therapy

  • We are the only children’s hospital in Northern California with proton therapy.
  • We are the first in the world to offer patients the ability to sit upright during treatment with new ultra-compact proton therapy technology, which may make it easier for some children to remain still during treatment without sedation.  
  • Your child’s care team will include expert pediatric oncologists, radiation oncologists, and other specialists working together to customize the right treatment for your child.

Proton therapy: What to expect

Patients usually receive proton therapy treatments up to five days a week for several weeks, with the length of treatment depending on the tumor type, size, and stage. Each session lasts about 30 to 45 minutes.

The length of your child’s treatment, as well as whether proton therapy will be used with other therapies, depends on your child’s unique care plan.

Before beginning proton therapy. Before your child begins proton therapy, he or she will have a CT simulation appointment to prepare for treatment. Your child will be fitted with a customized device, such as a cushion, body mold, or mask, that helps them stay still and in the same position during each treatment. Your child may also have a CT scan, MRI, or PET/MRI scan to help doctors identify the exact size and location of the tumor being treated. This information will help your child’s doctors map out how the proton beam will travel to the tumor.

During proton therapy. Before each session, your child will have a CT scan to make sure their body is positioned so that the proton beam hits the tumor exactly. Your child’s doctor reviews the scan results and your child’s positioning daily.

During treatment, your child may lie on a table or sit in an upright support system. We are the first hospital and only hospital in the world to offer patients the ability to sit upright during treatment, which can be more comfortable and make it easier to stay still.

A radiation therapist will help your child get positioned in the custom device that will help them stay still during treatment. The radiation therapist will operate the treatment machine from outside the room. They will still be able to see and hear your child. Your child won’t feel anything during treatment.

After proton therapy. After your child’s session is over, the radiation therapist will help them out of the custom positioning device. Your child can go home as soon as the session is over and resume their normal activities.