Proton therapy can deliver radiation with remarkable precision, limiting exposure to healthy tissue beyond a tumor. But does more precise always mean better care, and if the technology has been available for decades, why do so few patients have access to it?

In this episode of Stanford Medcast, host Dr. Ruth Adewuya speaks with Dr. Billy Loo, professor of radiation oncology at Stanford Medicine, about the evolving role of proton therapy in cancer care. They explore how proton therapy differs from conventional radiation, which patients may benefit most, and why technological advantages do not always translate directly into better clinical outcomes. Dr. Loo also takes listeners inside the development of Stanford Medicine’s ultracompact proton therapy system, an approach designed to bring a technology once requiring a massive, dedicated facility into an existing cancer center. He discusses what a smaller footprint could mean for access, the importance of multidisciplinary expertise in determining the right treatment for each patient, and the barriers that remain. Looking ahead, the conversation turns to FLASH radiotherapy and the possibility that delivering radiation in fractions of a second could add a new dimension to precision cancer treatment, potentially changing not only where radiation is delivered, but how healthy tissue responds to it.

Read Transcript: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/xip9itq4y4h473c2/Transcript_medcast_episode123.pdf

CME Information: https://stanford.cloud-cme.com/medcastepisode123

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