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There is Evidence for the Superiority of Protons or Heavy Ions, Contra

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Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer

Part of the book series: Medical Radiology ((Med Radiol Radiat Oncol))

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Abstract

Photon therapy is a safe and effective treatment for localised prostate cancer. It is used widely and has a strong evidence base. For three decades, proponents of proton and heavy ion therapy have claimed that these modalities have theoretical advantages which will translate into clinical benefit. However, there is no current evidence to support this. In this chapter we will assess the theoretical and clinical evidence for proton and heavy ion therapy and compare this with that for photon therapy. The health economic perspective will also be examined. We will show that there is no evidence for the superiority of protons or heavy ions over photon therapy.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical Oncology Royal Marsden Hospital London, London, SW3 6JJ, UK

    Daniel Robert Henderson

  2. The Royal Marsden Hospital, Fulham Road, London, SW3 6JJ, UK

    Nicholas van As

Authors
  1. Daniel Robert Henderson
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  2. Nicholas van As
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Correspondence to Nicholas van As .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen, Schwestern Linz, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria

    Hans Geinitz

  2. University of California, San Francisco Department of Radiation Oncology, San Francisco, California, USA

    Mack Roach III

  3. The Institute of Cancer Research Sutton, Sutton Surrey, United Kingdom

    Nicholas van As

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© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Henderson, D.R., van As, N. (2013). There is Evidence for the Superiority of Protons or Heavy Ions, Contra. In: Geinitz, H., Roach III, M., van As, N. (eds) Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer. Medical Radiology(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2013_915

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/174_2013_915

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-37098-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-37099-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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