Researchers at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. studied 211 men with low, intermediate, and high-risk prostate cancer who were treated with proton therapy, a type of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) that delivers high doses of protons to a targeted area, which radiation oncologists can achieve using advanced imaging techniques that allow them to identify the exact location of the tumor. After a two year follow-up, the research team led by Nancy Mendenhall, reported that proton therapy as a treatment for prostate cancer was effective and that the gastrointestinal and genitourinary side effects were generally minimal.
