That triggered a rash of medical studies of protons conducted at physics laboratories throughout the world including those in Sweden, the Soviet Union, Japan and Switzerland. In the United States researchers at the University of California, Berkeley studied alternate delivery systems including helium and other heavier ions, while in 1960 Harvard University researchers began to experiment with delivering protons for medical use.
It was Radiation Oncologist James M. Slater, M.D., who brought these concepts and this technology to the mainstream when he proposed proton therapy as a standard radiation treatment to be delivered in hospitals – not as a departure from radiation oncology, but rather as the next logical evolution of the discipline. He knew that the effectiveness of existing radiation treatment was limited as it tried to target the cancerous cells while sparing normal tissue, but that protons, due to their characteristics of mass and charge, could be far better controlled. It was this controllability, and the ability to spare normal tissue to a greater extent than had ever been possible, that led Dr. Slater to advocate bringing proton therapy into the hospital environment.
Over the past 25 years, proton therapy’s efficacy as a premiere radiation treatment modality for cancer and other diseases has greatly enhanced patient care, quality of life and longevity. And since physician-scientists from Loma Linda University’s Cancer Center (LLUCC) developed and brought proton therapy into the hospital setting in 1990 under Dr. James Slater’s guidance, the technology has saved thousands of lives and has shown countless advancements.
Following is a look at some of the key milestones in the history of proton therapy from 1970 to today.
1970 – With Dr. James M. Slater joining the staff, the development of a hospital-based proton delivery system as a dedicated section of radiation oncology, begins at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC).
1971 – The world’s first computer-assisted treatment-planning system using ultrasound digital images is developed at LLUMC.
1973 – Research leads to computed tomography being added to the computer-assisted planning system.
1974 – As a precursor to proton, research built around using pion as a fundamental particle for routine radiation therapy as a replacement for photon, is conducted at the Los Almos National Laboratory in New Mexico.
1983 – With advanced technologies in place including the advent of digital imaging to permit precise definition of targeted anatomy, treatment planning systems featuring three-dimensional capabilities, and advanced computer development, active planning for a hospital-based proton treatment center begins at LLUMC.
1984 – The Proton Therapy Co-Operative Group, an organization dedicated to developing the requirements for designing a hospital-based proton therapy system comprised of scientists from around the world, is established.
1990 – The world’s first hospital-based, treatment-dedicated proton center is opened with the treatment of the first patient at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
1991 – Patients with brain tumors and cancers of the head and neck begin receiving treatment at LLUMC with the addition of a second beam line extracted from the accelerator and guided through the second and third gantries.
1994 – A five-year agreement between NASA and LLUMC begins. Its purpose is to research how astronauts can be protected from the dangers of positively charged particles in space.
2006 – More than 100 of the world’s most distinguished physicists, radiation biologists and radiation oncologists participate in a symposium to discuss factors involved in planning, developing and operating a hospital-based proton treatment center.
2010 – A robotic Precision Patient Alignment System, which further improves the accuracy of repeatable patient positioning, allowing the treatment of more difficult-to-reach tumors, becomes operational at LLUMC.
2014 – A five-year study about cosmetic outcomes of partial breast radiation therapy with proton, led by Dr. David Bush and colleagues from LLUMC, reports excellent results, sparing patients from disfiguration after treatment.
2015 – The James M. Slater Proton Treatment and Research Center celebrates its 25th anniversary having treated nearly 20,000 patients, more than any other proton treatment facility in the world.
Proton’s efficacy is continuously improved with the ongoing research on techniques and protocols to expand its use to heal previously considered “untreatable” forms of cancer and other diseases. Currently researchers at Loma Linda University’s Proton Center and around the world are involved in a number of studies and clinical trials; and due to their work and the efforts of thousands of others throughout the years, today proton therapy is saving lives by effectively treating not only prostate cancer but tumors of the head and neck, along with lung, breast, liver, and eye cancer.
Dr. Jerry D. Slater is chairman of the Department of Radiation Medicine and clinical director of the James M. Slater, M.D., Proton Treatment & Research Center at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
