Treatment of Gastrointestinal System Cancer with Proton Therapy

Gastrointestinal tract cancer, also called GI cancer, refers to cancers that occur anywhere within the digestive tract, such as the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, rectum, and anus. GI cancers can be difficult to treat due to their location close to sensitive structures. Typically, a combination of treatments is used to treat GI tumors, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

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The precision of proton therapy for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer gives doctors the flexibility to treat tumors with higher doses of radiation while reducing the risk of damaging healthy surrounding tissue. Avoiding unnecessary radiation to healthy tissue during gastrointestinal cancer treatment reduces the risk of side effects compared to conventional radiation.

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GI tract tumors best suited for proton therapy include:

• Esophageal cancer

• Gastric cancer

• pancreatic cancer

• liver cancer

• rectal cancer

• Anal (breech) cancer

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Symptoms of Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer can be difficult to treat with radiation, the esophagus is close to the heart, lung, and spinal canal, so proton therapy is one of the best treatment options, as it emits high radiation at the tumor site.

• difficulty swallowing

• weight loss

• Burning and pain in the chest area

• Vomiting, food coming back into the mouth.

• Swelling in the neck.

• Anorexia.

• hoarseness

• Bleeding.

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Symptoms of Stomach Cancer

Gastric cancer can be found in the 5 layers of the stomach, the treatment of cancer that develops in the mucous layer is better. Cancer in the outer layer of the stomach is more prone to spread, so early diagnosis is very important. With proton therapy, it is the type of treatment that both protects the surrounding tissues and the amount of radiation that will go out of the cancerous structure is the least.

• Indigestion or a burning sensation in the stomach.

• Nausea

• A feeling of bloating that occurs even with a small amount of food.

• Pain in the abdomen or stomach area

• unexplained weight loss

• Swallowing Difficulty

• Anemia (Anemia)

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Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer

In the pre- and post-operative treatment of pancreatic cancer, it can facilitate the increase of radiation dose and has additional benefits to the treatment by increasing the intensity of chemotherapy. At the same time, it prevents the delay of chemotherapy and surgical treatment, as it provides local control of the applied area.

• Abdominal pain that worsens after meals or when taking a horizontal position

• Gas pains, bloating.

• Vomiting and loss of appetite

• Dark or bloody urine.

• General malaise.

• Enlargement of the liver and gallbladder.

• Itching

• Arrival

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Symptoms of Liver Cancer

• Appetite and weight loss

• Feeling very full after a small meal

• Nausea or vomiting

• An enlarged liver felt as a mass under the ribs on the right

• Enlarged spleen felt as a mass under the ribs on the left side

• Pain in the abdomen or near the right shoulder blade

• Swelling or fluid buildup in the abdomen

• Itching

• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

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Symptoms of Rectal Cancer

Change in bowel habits - Constipation, diarrhea, and bowel incontinence can be a sign of colorectal cancer, although they are often symptoms of other, less serious problems.​

• Blood in the stool or stool

• unexplained anemia

• unusual stomach or gas pain

• unexplained weight loss

• Tiredness

• Vomiting

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Symptoms of Anal (Brectal) Cancer

In the treatment of anal canal cancer, therapeutic chemotherapy and radiation therapy are the priority, unlike other gastrointestinal cancers. Tumors diagnosed early have a high success rate. However, the radiation dose is short- and long-term after the treatment process.

• Bleeding from the breech.

• Feeling of mass, swelling in the anus.

• pain in the rectum

• Persistent or recurrent rectal itching

• Change in bowel habits (frequent or less frequent defecation)

• Difficult defecation, straining.

• Thinning of the stool like a pencil.

• rectal discharge