Proton Protocols Offer New Treatment and Hope For Patients
Saturday, March 01, 1997
Twins Lola and Lila Gould do almost everything together. At 71, they have lived near each other for 61 years. Between the two of them, Lola and Lila have 44 grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
When Lila began having problems with her vision, she decided to have her eyes checked by an ophthalmologist. Lola decided to go with her and get her eyes checked as well. Unfortunately, the physician found that both Lola and Lila had macular degeneration of the retina in their eyes. This is a serious condition where new blood vessels occur on the retina, and blindness will result if this process is not stopped. This process is called subfoveal choroidal neovascularizations (SCNVs) and is the major cause of blindness in the elderly in the United States.
Both of Lila's eyes were treated with a laser which left her near blindness. Since only Lola's right eye was diagnosed with macular degeneration she only had the laser treatment in that eye. But soon reading became blurry, and Lola knew the same thing was happening to her left eye. Lola's physician referred her to the Proton Treatment Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center which had begun a protocol development program for treating macular degeneration.
To develop a protocol or standard for treatment, a research plan is developed and data is obtained from this research which is used to refine the treatment process before a final standard for treatment is determined. Patients with a condition previously untreated with protons are treated to determine the effectiveness of the new procedure.
Lola was approved as a candidate for treatment at Loma Linda as part of development of the new protocol for macular degeneration. Her treatment only lasted 60 seconds but still proves to be successful a year and a half later. She still has vision in that eye, and it has stabilized.
"I am very happy with the outcome of proton radiation," says Lola, who lives with Lila in Moreno Valley, California. "The difference in treatment is very apparent to me. The staff stays up-to-date on new procedures and shows tender loving care."
Patients, like Lola, benefit from ongoing research with the protocol development program at the Proton Treatment Center. With a grant from The Hearst Foundation and with the gifts of many individuals and businesses, the Hearst Foundation Protocol Development Project is expanding the development of new treatment protocols.
Another protocol is being developed for non-small-cell cancers of the lung. This cancer is frequently confined to the lung when diagnosed, but extensive surgery and radiation therapy are required to prevent its spread. High doses of radiation to the lung can cause serious, crippling aftereffects. This research seeks to determine if proton radiation can spare more lung tissue while delivering doses required to control the disease.
Research is also continuing in the area of prostate cancer. Currently, 55 percent of all patients at the Proton Treatment Center are treated for prostate cancer. In collaboration with the Medical Center's department of urology, James M. Slater, MD, FACR, director of the Proton Treatment Center, and his team are developing innovative strategies for treating patients whose cancer has extended beyond the seminal vesicles. These patients normally have a poor prognosis and a decreased chance for survival.
In addition, the team proposes another prostate protocol. For its development, researchers will investigate the effects of higher doses of proton radiation for treatment of more advanced prostate cancer without inducing a higher incidence of side effects.
Dr. Slater's vision for the future of the Proton Treatment Center includes ongoing research to provide computer-based technology which will make the Proton Treatment Center much more efficient. This should reduce the cost of proton therapy, which will make it available to more patients. The development of other new technology will allow treatment of more types of cancer and, eventually, cancer in all sites of the body.
In its quest for new ways to provide optimum care to its patients, the Loma Linda University Proton Treatment Center plans to stay on the leading edge of radiation treatment.
For more information about the Proton Treatment Center, call (909) 558-4288.
Some patients being treated at the Proton Treatment Center are participating in programs to develop new standards for proton therapy. Research is currently being conducted to develop treatment protocols to improve the effectiveness of therapy to many sites of the body including tumors of the inner ear, brain, eye, lung, and prostate.
