Proton-beam therapy at The Svedberg laboratory

The Svedberg Laboratory is a national research centre associated with Uppsala University. Here ion beam research is conducted covering a wide range of areas - from subatomic physics to medical applications. At The Svedberg Laboratory, Uppsala University Hospital has built up the only facility for proton beam therapy in Scandinavia, an advanced collaboration between specialists in biology, medicine and physics.

Protons accelerated in a cyclotron have properties that make them ideal for radiotherapy of tumours. The millimetre precision achieved with this method makes it possible to work with significantly higher radiation doses than in conventional radiotherapy, without risking to damage the surrounding tissue.

The treatment is carried out by a team of physicians, physicists and X-ray staff. Today a narrow, fixed proton beam is used to treat patients with different form of tumours and vascular deformities in the head and neck region. Development work is in progress to enable also mobile treatment with a broad proton beam. This will make it possible to treat tumours also in other parts of the body, e.g. cancer of the pancreas and widespread lung tumours.