Globally, proton beam therapy (PBT) is among the most advanced technologies for cancer treatment at present, although access to it is limited for the vast majority of the world.
Currently, there are two centres in the UK offering proton beam therapy: The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) in London. Proton International London at UCLH provides private treatment options for those who prefer to pay for their care.
Is proton beam therapy a widely accessible cancer treatment in the UK?
Proton International London (PIL) offers the UK’s only private proton beam therapy service at UCLH (University College London Hospital). The state-of-the-art proton beam therapy (PBT) facility happens to be London’s first and only proton beam therapy centre.
UCLH is home to one of the UK’s two proton beam therapy centres, with the second centre being at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester. However, proton beam therapy is only available to NHS patients at the Christie. However, as a private patient, you can access proton beam therapy (PBT) through Proton International London at UCLH in London.
Where can you get proton beam therapy?
At present, two proton beam therapy centres are providing this treatment which involves being treated by a beam of proton particles.
In the UK, both of these are NHS centres, with one centre at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, and the other at UCLH NHS Foundation Trust in London.
Both centres have the capacity to treat up to 1500 patients each year who need proton beam therapy treatment, for a range of different cancers.
How can you access proton beam therapy?
As mentioned earlier, treatment for proton beam therapy (PBT) can be accessed through one of the two centres – with UCLH in London offering a key advantage as it offers treatment for private patients.
All you need to do is enquire to our Proton International London administrative team to determine if you are a good candidate for PBT and we will take care of the rest.
How much does proton therapy cost in the UK?
The costs of proton beam therapy at UCLH in London, where Proton International London offers state-of-the-art private treatment for private patients from both within the UK and overseas, varies depending on the treatment area and the total number of treatment sessions you require.
The cost of proton beam therapy will vary from patient to patient, depending on the cancer site and the complexity of the treatment.
What cancers can be treated by proton therapy in the UK?
At Proton International London, we work with some of the most experienced and respected cancer specialists, both across London and the rest of the country, to allow cancer patients to benefit from proton beam therapy (PBT) and also to access it easily.
Proton beam therapy is highly effective in treating many types of cancer, some of which include:
Brain cancer and neurological tumours
Proton beam therapy is highly effective in treating tumours in the brain and CNS (central nervous system), including those in the spine. It targets these cancers with precision while significantly reducing the radiotherapy dose to adjacent healthy tissues and critical structures.
It can be particularly beneficial in the following areas:
- Tumours in part of the brain which are normally difficult to access through surgical means
- Tumours located near critical areas, such as those controlling vision, memory, hearing, and other important brain functions
- Patients who have already gone through surgery and need post-operative radiotherapy
Skull base tumours
Certain kinds of skull base tumours can be treated effectively with proton beam therapy. These tumours often require high doses of radiation, and proton beam therapy is particularly well suited to delivering these high doses while sparing adjacent normal tissues and critical structures.
Our consultants will evaluate your medical history along with conducting any necessary diagnostic tests, as well as discussing with you up the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives for treating your tumour – all of which are based on your individual health circumstances.
Lung cancer
Proton beam therapy may also be used to treat certain kinds of lung cancers, particularly those that cannot be treated effectively with other types of radiation which deliver too much dose to adjacent normal tissues and critical structures.
By sparing normal lung tissue, PBT reduces side effects and preserves lung function, compared with other types of radiation.
Head and neck cancer
Proton beam therapy is effective in treating cancers in both the neck area alone as well as the head and neck area.
It can treat a variety of cancers in the region, including those in:
- The throat, tongue, and tonsil
- The salivary glands
- Lmph nodes in the neck
- The nasal sinuses
- Soft tissue and bone sarcomas of the head & neck
Prostate cancer
Proton beam therapy has become a very popular alternative to traditional radiotherapy for treating prostate cancer. It is a safe and well-tolerated treatment option with a generally low risk of severe or long-term side effects.
The outcomes are similar compared to standard radiotherapy or surgery, and due to its precision targeting properties, there are potentially less side effects, as proton beam therapy does not affect healthy tissue around the tumour site.
Paediatric cancer
Children’s and young people’s bodies are not just smaller than adults – they are still growing and changing, and because of this, there is evidence that photon radiotherapy can have a detrimental impact on growth and their adult life years after the treatment has finished.
Proton beam therapy is very precise in how it delivers a dose to the tumour while sparing normal tissues. This enhanced precision and normal tissue sparing compared with photon radiotherapy provides particular benefits for this group of patients.
What are the key benefits of Proton Beam Therapy?
One of the main benefits of proton beam therapy is that it delivers radiation which precisely targets the site of the tumour while sparing adjacent normal tissues and critical structures.
It can do this more effectively than standard photon radiotherapy where healthy surrounding tissues may receive radiation dose which can cause acute and late side effects.
Due to this precision targeting, proton beam therapy or proton beam therapy offers many additional benefits such as:
- Minimising radiation to vital organs like the heart and lungs when treating cancers of the spine or breast
- Protecting crucial neurological functions, such as speech and memory when a brain of base of skull tumour is being treated anywhere close to the regions which controls these functions
- Reducing radiation dose to normal tissues and critical structures which have already received radiation previously, when treating a cancer that has recurred after previous radiotherapy
- Reducing long-term side effects in children with cancer for whom this is a particular problem, given the sensitivity of growing tissues and organs to radiation.
Enquire about private UK proton beam therapy today
At Proton International London, the health and wellbeing of each patient is paramount. Our team personally supports each patient throughout their journey – from the initial approval stage through to treatment and discharge – ensuring a smooth, safe, and healing treatment experience.
Enquire now to learn more.
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