Noninvasive proton beam therapy may help treat dangerous heart rhythm disorder

Mayo Clinic researchers report that a highly targeted, noninvasive form of radiation therapy reduced episodes of a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder by nearly 80% in a first-in-human early feasibility study of patients with few remaining treatment options. The findings, presented as late-breaking research at the Heart Rhythm Society conference on April 26 and published in the Heart Rhythm Journal, suggest proton beam therapy could offer a new approach for patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT), a dangerous, fast heart rhythm disorder that can lead to sudden cardiac death.