Pilot Study on Proton Irradiation of Human Carcinoma

Seven cases of carcinoma were irradiated by a synchrocyclotron with a beam of high energy protons. Large volumes of tissue were in some of the cases uniformly covered by a continuous variation of the range of the protons during irradiation. Microscopic changes similar to those described being due to other forms of ionizing radiation were found in the carcinomas and could be corroborated with changes previously observed in rabbits sfter irradiation with protons. A single proton dose of 3,000 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. (auth)