Patient information

When protons reach cancer cells, they transfer energy to electrons in the intracellular molecules, causing a series of interactions, or ionizing events, that damage all the ionized molecules, especially the DNA, which governs cell life and reproduction. Cancer cells with intensely ionized molecules are rendered nonviable and die because they can no longer divide (reproductive damage) or recover, and the residual tissue is replaced by normal cells with reparative properties.

In many cases, yes. Proton therapy can be used in combination with chemotherapy, as a complementary treatment to surgery and in combination with standard radiation treatment (to intensify radiation-resistant areas).

It may also be a treatment option in cases where a tumor has recurred after previous treatment with traditional radiotherapy and cannot be treated again with conventional radiation due to the limited tolerance of normal tissue critical to maintaining the patient’s quality of life.

Yes. No oncological treatment—neither radiation nor pharmacological—is harmless. The side effects associated with proton therapy are multifactorial and depend on the interaction between the irradiation itself on tissues and the patient’s general condition, as well as the tissues exposed to radiation.

Proton therapy is less toxic than other external radiotherapy alternatives. The expected toxicity of each radiotherapy treatment is individualized and highly predictable. Each patient is given detailed information in advance before informed consent is sought from the patient.

Proton therapy minimizes the toxicity patients suffer and is one of its key established advantages.

Hair loss occurs only when the cranial area is treated. Radiation-induced nausea and vomiting occur on an exceptional basis in extreme cases involving proton therapy in the abdomen or pelvis, and in cases involving extremely large volumes.

Some patients treated with proton therapy also receive chemotherapy and may suffer from hair loss or nausea for this reason.

Proton therapy is generally the treatment of choice for tumors treatable with external radiation therapy, because it is the form of treatment that best preserves healthy tissue and reduces adverse effects on growing structures.

Pediatric cancer patients usually survive their disease. Adverse secondary effects must be prevented, and any resultant disability as adults must be minimized. The dosimetric benefit makes proton therapy the technique of choice in pediatric radiotherapy.

No. Proton therapy is not used in all types of cancer or in all patients. It is most effective in localized tumors that have not spread to other areas of the body.

In cases with metastases, proton therapy can be an option only in very specific situations, such as when there are few lesions (oligo-metastatic or oligo-recurrent disease).

Therefore, each case must be assessed individually by a multidisciplinary team of specialists, who will analyze whether proton therapy is the best alternative or whether another treatment is appropriate.

Proton therapy is particularly beneficial in tumors located near organs and structures that are very sensitive to radiation, such as the heart, lung, digestive mucosa, genitourinary system, brain or spinal cord. In these cases, it allows high doses to be administered to the tumor, reducing damage to healthy tissues.

Although today only about 15% of patients receiving radiotherapy are candidates for proton therapy (some 700 people a year in Spain), research is progressing and new indications are being studied to extend its use to more types of cancer.

At the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, we have a multidisciplinary team composed of professionals from a range of different fields who lead the Proton Therapy Unit.

This team is made up of experts, notably including specialists responsible for patient care, radiotherapy oncologists, radio-physicists, biomedical engineers, nurses, technicians, dosimetrists and all the medical and surgical specialties involved in the oncology areas of the Navarre University Cancer Center.

There is extremely close collaboration with Pediatric Oncology, Medical Oncology, Hematology, Anesthesia, Diagnostic Imaging and Pathological Anatomy.

The inpatient location ensures advancement and innovation in proton therapy, synchronized with highly specialized medical progress.

No. The first case of a patient receiving proton therapy was recorded over 50 years ago and, to date, more than 100,000 people worldwide have received proton therapy at centers in Europe, the United States and Asia.

Yes. The medical community continues to conduct research studies on proton therapy.

Leading cancer treatment institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the MD Anderson Cancer Center and John Hopkins are part of a research association that our Proton Therapy Unit also belongs to, with multiple prospective clinical trials underway to help find improvements in cancer treatment using this therapy.

Given the academic nature of the Navarre University Hospital, research is one of our strategic pillars. We take part in clinical trials and generate clinical and translational research projects in conjunction with the Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA).