Proton therapy against tumors | Oncology

Argentina will become the first country in the region to have a proton therapy center, which will be operational by 2022. This treatment has been shown to be beneficial for the treatment of tumors in the area. 39, child and the reduction of radiation exposure in healthy tissue. The project, endowed with an investment of $ 80 million, was presented to the UBA.

The Argentine Center for Protontherapy (Cearp) "will be the first in Latin America and will put Argentina and its health facilities in place of the preponderance of the region as a reference institution," said Marcelo Vázquez , professor at the University of Loma Linda Health, United States, the first center in the world to use this type of treatment in a hospital, in 1990.

"Years ago, it was shown that cancer treatment with protons was of considerable use because of the ability to control radiation more accurately than conventional treatments, such as X-rays or gamma" , explained Vázquez, adding that currently there are about "80 centers" of this type in the world.

With proton therapy, "when pediatric patients need to be irradiated with brain tumors, for example, you can control the maximum radiation dose at the tumor site and minimize the existing dose, which is healthy tissue." said Vázquez. The specialist added that another example of the benefits of this therapy concerns prostate tumors and the abdomen.

The Cearp will be built on land owned by the UBA, neighboring the Angel H. Roffo Institute of Oncology, also close to the Nuclear Diagnostic Center Foundation (FCDN), "thus forming a comprehensive oncology pole for the fight against cancer, "said Gustavo Santa Cruz, head of research and development in nuclear applications to health CNEA.