Breast cancer patients get proton beam therapy on NHS in world-first trial

Exclusive: study is first to compare pioneering targeted treatment on difficult-to-treat tumours with standard radiotherapy

Three breast cancer patients have undergone pioneering proton beam therapy for the first time on the NHS as part of a world-first trial.

The hi-tech treatment targets tumours far more precisely than conventional radiotherapy, suiting patients with difficult-to-treat growths in critical areas. The NHS has previously used proton beam therapy to treat patients with tumours in and around their brain or spinal cord.