Introduction/Condition Background:
In the United States, the most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer among men is prostate cancer . The prostate is an organ that functions in producing fluid that protects and nourishes the sperm in semeni. It is located approximately at the base of the bladder in males. A growth of malignant cancerous cells in the prostate is called prostate cancer. If the cancer is confined to just the prostate, it is called localised prostate cancer (LPC). LPC is usually not life-threatening and can be cured by the removal of the prostate or through radiation therapyi. Metastatic prostate cancer is if the cancer spreads to other organs in the body. This is much more difficult to treat and can often prove to be fatali. The primary treatment modality used for localised prostate cancer is external beam radiation therapy …show more content…
A proton is a positively charged elementary particle. The protons are accelerated using a cyclotron and then focussed into a beam and directed into the gantry using magnetic fields (REFERENCE). The proton beam can then be guided to the target area in the patient where the individual protons will interact with the cells in the body. There are 4 types of ways protons can interact with matter. Inelastic and elastic Coulomb scattering, non-elastic nuclear reactions and Bremsstrahlung.
Inelastic Coulomb scattering occurs when a proton interacts with the atomic electrons. The proton continues to travel in its original trajectory but it loses some kinetic energy. As it interacts with more electrons it continuously loses kinetic energy. This loss of kinetic energy determines the range of the beam in the patient. Elastic Coulomb interaction occurs when the proton travels nearby an atomic nucleus. The proton will experience a repulsive force which will change the trajectory of the
In the United States, the most common cancer and the third leading cause of death from cancer among men is prostate cancer . The prostate is an organ that functions in producing fluid that protects and nourishes the sperm in semeni. It is located approximately at the base of the bladder in males. A growth of malignant cancerous cells in the prostate is called prostate cancer. If the cancer is confined to just the prostate, it is called localised prostate cancer (LPC). LPC is usually not life-threatening and can be cured by the removal of the prostate or through radiation therapyi. Metastatic prostate cancer is if the cancer spreads to other organs in the body. This is much more difficult to treat and can often prove to be fatali. The primary treatment modality used for localised prostate cancer is external beam radiation therapy …show more content…
A proton is a positively charged elementary particle. The protons are accelerated using a cyclotron and then focussed into a beam and directed into the gantry using magnetic fields (REFERENCE). The proton beam can then be guided to the target area in the patient where the individual protons will interact with the cells in the body. There are 4 types of ways protons can interact with matter. Inelastic and elastic Coulomb scattering, non-elastic nuclear reactions and Bremsstrahlung.
Inelastic Coulomb scattering occurs when a proton interacts with the atomic electrons. The proton continues to travel in its original trajectory but it loses some kinetic energy. As it interacts with more electrons it continuously loses kinetic energy. This loss of kinetic energy determines the range of the beam in the patient. Elastic Coulomb interaction occurs when the proton travels nearby an atomic nucleus. The proton will experience a repulsive force which will change the trajectory of the