Pilot Study on Proton Irradiation of Human Carcinoma

Abstract

Seven cases of carcinoma were irradiated by a synchrocyclotron with a beam of high energy protons. In some of the cases large volumes of tissue were uniformly covered by a continuous variation in the ranges of protons during irradiation. Microscopic changes in the carcinomas were similar to changes usually observed after treatment with other forms of ionizing radiation. These could be correlated with changes previously observed in rabbits after irradiation with protons. A single proton dose of 3000 rad caused obvious regressive changes without producing any severe damage to the skin or urinary bladder, even in those cases in which almost the entire pelvis was irradiated.