Proton Therapy
Which kind of tumour can be treated with protons at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin?
The Charité in Berlin performs proton therapy of intraocular tumours at the HZB. Patients profit from the clinical and operating knowledge that results from our experience of many years in this special field of precision radiotherapy.
Melanoma of the uvea and of the ciliary body
Malignant melanomas of the choroid are the most frequent primary intraocular tumours.
The estimated incidence rate is about 6 or 7 new cases per million inhabitants, corresponding to some 500 to 600 new cases per year in Germany. In about one third of these cases, depending on tumour size and location, proton therapy, if available, is the therapy of choice.
Iris melanoma
In rare cases, a malignant melanoma can be found at the iris, too. Fortunately its appearance is visible to the naked eye and can therefore be diagnosed and treated in an early stage.
So far, the irradiation at HZB of this kind of tumour has yielded excellent results.
Other indications
Further indications for proton therapy are hemangiomas of the choroid and of the retina. Hemangiomas are benign malformations of blood vessels. When growing, they may impair the visual acuity and should therefore be treated, even though they do not develop metastases.
Photography of the eyeground. The ophthalmologist examines the inner eye with a fundus camera. In this picture, the tumour region can be identified from the large pigmented area.
Iris melanoma. Even for non-specialists, the transformation of the iris in this picture due to pigmented tumour cells is clearly visible.