The ‘radiation vacation’: Parents’ experiences of travelling to have their children’s brain tumours treated with proton beam therapy

Abstract

Proton beam therapy is a new form of radiotherapy. Little is known about patients’ experiences of proton beam therapy and less about parents’ experiences of children receiving treatment. Semi-structured interviews explored 10 parents’ experiences of travelling from the United Kingdom to the United States to have their children’s brain tumours treated with proton beam therapy. Thematic analysis uncovered themes of ‘adjusting to the PBT routine’, ‘finding benefit in the situation’ and ‘readjusting upon returning home’. Parents’ initial worries were elevated by travel, but they found benefit in their experiences, describing them positively. The periods before and after treatment were most difficult, illustrating a cycle from upset to calm, back to upset upon their return home.