Proton Therapy in Russia

Proton therapy technology can effectively treat cancer. The opening of new proton therapy centers and the improvement of the technical and medical base of radiation oncology, in general, make it possible to find more solutions to cancer treatment.

Proton therapy overview

The centuries-old history of the medical use of ionizing radiation in oncology convincingly proves the need for this technology in the treatment of malignant neoplasms.

At certain localizations and stages of cancer, the proton therapy can be an alternative to surgery. The new technology of the use of ionizing radiation in medicine has made it possible to expand the indications for organ-preserving operations significantly.

Proton therapy makes it possible to deliver a high radiation dose during one procedure without damaging the surrounding tissues. Thus, proton therapy is the advanced technology in terms of solving the main problem – focusing the maximum dose of radiation in the tumor, while sparing the healthy tissues. Proton therapy can be considered a type of minimally invasive treatment.

More than 70% of cancer patients receive proton therapy. Doctors mainly use accelerators – special equipment for proton particle therapy. For example, there are 3,000 medical accelerators in the United States. In many medical centers, the ratio of the number of accelerators to gamma devices reaches 5:1, 10:1, and in some countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark), clinical centers prefer the use of proton therapy devices over the conventional radiation therapy devices.

As sophisticated as proton therapy is today for successfully treating cancers with few side effects, proton beam technologies continue to advance to meet the clinical needs of cancer patients.

The latest modification of proton treatment methods is called intensity-modulated proton therapy or IMPT.

IMPT lets radiation oncologists adjust the precision, depth, and intensity of a proton beam to the shape of complex tumors while sparing the surrounding healthy tissues. Therapy IMPT also is suitable for treating tumors that are next to vital organs such as the heart, lungs or pancreas.

Advantages of proton therapy

By combining the unique physical properties of proton beams and the advantages of pencil beam scanning, modern proton therapy systems allow:

• Target tumors with high accuracy, which is especially important when they are located next to vital organs
• Increase the dose of radiation in the tumor area by 30%
• Treat located deep inside organs and large neoplasms
• Minimize radiation exposure to healthy tissues and organs
• Reduce the risk of side effects development
• Carrying out treatment on an outpatient basis, without interfering with the usual lifestyle of the patient

Indications for proton therapy

Proton therapy for cancer treatment is considered the most effective and uncontested method in cases of the high risk of conventional radiation therapy conduction.

The technique has an indisputable advantage in pediatric practice when tumors are located close to vital organs and highly sensitive tissues since it significantly reduces the output dose and the load on the surrounding structures.

The method is preferred in the treatment of eye and brain, head and neck, prostate, liver, lungs, and breast cancers. Treatment of tumors of the head, base of the skull and neck, as well as intraocular cancer with proton therapy makes it possible to minimize the dose of radiation for such vital organs as the eyes, brain, cranial and optic nerves. Therefore, the risk of damage to vision, smell, taste, and swallowing is lower.

Non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and esophageal cancer are popular indications for proton therapy, since radiation exposure to the spine and nearby organs, primarily the heart, should be avoided if possible. Proton therapy is increasingly used for prostate cancer treatment as well, due to the need to spare nearby critical organs.

The resistance of bone sarcoma to medium doses of radiation and the need for a high therapeutic dose to destroy cancer cells make proton therapy the first-line method for the treatment of this disease.

Patients with inoperable lymphomas located near critical organs and not responding to chemotherapy, thanks to the unique properties of proton therapy, have a chance for a cure.

For recurrent cancer, proton therapy is the only possible method of repeated radiotherapy.

How the procedure is carried out

The preparatory phase of proton therapy planning, the so-called simulation technique, begins with the selection or creation of an individual support device to ensure the exact position of the patient during the subsequent therapy sessions.

The next step is diagnostic examination (CT, MRI, PET) and creating the three-dimensional model of the tumor and surrounding tissues. Those examinations usually take from 45 minutes to an hour and serve as the fundamental resources for proton therapy planning.

Markers or fixation devices are applied to the skin to direct the beam during each session accurately. The marks must remain throughout the entire treatment period.

On average, one week after the simulation technique, radiotherapy begins, usually on an outpatient basis. The duration of the course depends on the type and stage of the tumor, on average it takes 2-8 weeks (five days a week). The session lasts several minutes. However, taking into account the time required to position the patient and adjust the settings, the total duration of stay in the treatment room is 15-30 minutes.

The patient is positioned as in a simulation technique, with the laser marks of the delivery system aligned with the markers on his body or the fixation device.

Computed tomography is usually done before each session to ensure the highest dose delivery accuracy.

Once all parameters are verified, the medical staff leaves the treatment room and the procedure begins. The patient stays constantly under the audio and video supervision.

After the planned treatment is fully completed, the proton therapy device is turned off. With the help of healthcare professionals the patient removes all the technical equipment, and the session is over.

Proton therapy in the Russian Federation

In Russia, the share of independent surgical treatment for cancer is 46%, the share of surgery combined with radiation therapy is 31%, the share of independent radiation therapy is 17%, and the share of chemotherapy combined with radiation therapy is 3%.

These data, however, do not reflect the use of radiation therapy as a palliative or symptomatic treatment for cancer relapses and metastases. Radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy not only improves the quality of life of patients, but also often increases its duration. The share of this treatment exceeds 50% of the total number of radiotherapeutic procedures, which once again testifies to the demand for this method.

Dr. Berezin Medical Institute (MIBS) is the largest non-governmental medical organization in Russia, which includes more than 80 centers of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in 63 cities of Russia and Armenia, being the first private oncological clinic of a full cycle in the Northwestern region of Russia and the first proton therapy center in the Russian Federation. All regional diagnostic centers are linked to one network, which allows sharing all the necessary resources between hospitals.

The center includes the departments of neuroradiology, radiation oncology, general oncology and chemotherapy, a diagnostics department with rooms for computed and magnetic resonance imaging, a positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography rooms, and a hospital with a surgical and chemotherapeutic departments.

The center is equipped with a modern radiosurgical unit Gamma Knife (Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion) manufactured by the Swedish company Elekta, a radiosurgical unit CyberKnife, an innovative Varian Truebeam STx accelerator, and linear accelerators. It provides all the possibilities for modern highly qualified radiation treatment and proton therapy care to patients with tumors of any location, vascular malformations, and functional pathologies.

When choosing an equipment for an operation, specialists are guided exclusively by medical factors, which gives the center an undeniable advantage over clinics with only one installation. Focusing on the nature of the pathology, its size, location, distance to critical structures, doctors perform the treatment on the equipment that is most suitable for the specific case.

In 2013, 1187 people were treated with the Gamma Knife unit of MIBS , which made it the busiest center in the world among similar ones. In subsequent years, the number of patients who underwent treatment increased steadily – to more than 1400 people in 2017 and 2018, which allowed it to remain the most active operating center over the past years.

Thanks to modern technology, doctors of the MIBS Oncology Clinic can get advice from specialists from leading medical centers in the USA, Europe, and Japan to jointly draw up a treatment plan for a particular patient.

Where can I undergo proton therapy in Russia?

Health tourism is becoming more and more popular these days, as treatment abroad often ensures a much better quality of proton therapy.

There are few medical institutions in Russia that actively practice the method of proton therapy. The Proton Therapy Center of Dr. Berezin Medical Institute (MIBS) Saint Petersburg shows the best success rates in proton therapy in Russia.

For proton therapy conduction, the center chose the ProBeam system from the well-known American corporation Varian Medical Systems, one of the world leaders in the production of equipment and software for radiation therapy.

Similar systems are being used to treat patients at the California Proton Therapy Center in San Diego, the Maryland Proton Therapy Center in Baltimore, the Cincinnati Children's Medical Center in California, the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, and the Dutch CPT in Delft.

You can find more about the hospitals and the services they provide on the Booking Health website.

The cost of treatment in Russia

The prices in hospitals listed on the Booking Health website are relatively low. With Booking Health, you can undergo treatment in Russia at an affordable price.

The cost for proton therapy treatment in Russia is approximately 50,000 EUR.

Proton therapy for prostate cancer treatment costs 44,770 EUR.

Proton therapy for brain cancer treatment costs 45,000 EUR.

Proton therapy for breast cancer treatment costs 44,625 EUR.

Proton therapy for lung cancer treatment costs 44,325 EUR.

The cost for proton therapy treatment varies, as the prices depend on hospitals, the specifics of the disease, and the complexity of its treatment.

You also need to consider the cost of additional procedures and follow-up care. Therefore, the ultimate cost of treatment in Russia may differ from the initial price. 

To make sure that the cost of treatment in Russia is suitable for you, contact us by leaving the request on the Booking Health website.

How can I undergo treatment with proton therapy in Russia?

It is not easy to self-organize any treatment abroad. It requires certain knowledge and expertise. Thus, it is safer, easier, and less stressful to shift some responsibility onto a medical tourism agency.

As the largest and most transparent medical tourism agency in the world, Booking Health has up-to-date information about proton therapy treatment in the best hospitals. With the accurate information on the success rates of the hospitals in proton therapy, Booking Health will help you select the most suitable medical facility taking into account your wishes for treatment.

We want to help you and take on all the troubles. You can be free of unnecessary stress, while Booking Health takes care of all organizational issues. Our services are aimed at undergoing proton therapy safely and successfully.

Medical tourism can be easy! All you need to do first is to leave a request on the Booking Health website, and our manager will contact you shortly.