Targeted Radiation Treatment for the Eye
Proton therapy is a highly targeted treatment option for malignant tumors of the eye. With proton therapy, a very high dose of radiation is deposited directly into the tumor. Nearby healthy tissues in the eye, such as the retina, cornea, lens and optic nerve, receive little to no radiation. Eye tumors treated with proton therapy include ocular melanoma and uveal melanoma.
Meet Some of Our Patients
Patients explain why they chose the New York Proton Center and how proton therapy was an essential part of their cancer treatment.
Pencil Beam Scanning at the New York Proton Center
Patients at our center receive pencil beam scanning, a highly sophisticated and the most modern form of proton therapy. It uses an extremely narrow beam of protons to “paint” the intended radiation dose onto the tumor. The technology can target specific parts of the tumor with different radiation dose levels, while better protecting the surrounding normal tissues from irradiation.
Not All Proton Therapy Is Created Equal
Many other proton centers use “volumetric” beams that deliver a fixed quantity of energy to the entire tumor. But the pencil beam scanning technology at the New York Proton Center delivers “intensity-modulated proton therapy,” or IMPT.
Widely considered the most advanced form of proton therapy, IMPT can target different parts of the tumor with different radiation dose levels based on the prescription and tumor’s exact location, while better protecting the surrounding normal tissues from irradiation. That’s particularly valuable when treating the most complicated tumors, those residing in the fissures of the head, neck and skull base.
