Proton beam therapy is an advanced form of external radiotherapy that uses high-energy proton beams instead of photon x-ray beams or electrons. Carefully measured doses of protons are delivered to the precise area needing treatment, using the latest IBA ProteusONE technology. This ensures that the delivery of proton beam therapy is highly accurate and prevents the risk of radiation reaching surrounding healthy tissue.
Radiotherapy is used to kill and destroy cancer cells. It utilises radiation in the form of high-energy x-rays, known as photons, to kill and damage the cancerous cells and prevent their growth and reproduction. It can be used as a non-surgical option to treat cancer, and it can also be used to shrink a tumour or in combination with other treatments.
The Rutherford Cancer Centres and Elekta are bringing the next generation of personalised adaptive radiotherapy technology to oncology centres across the UK, with the new MR-linac Elekta Unity now available at the Rutherford Cancer Centre North West in Liverpool.
External Research Paper
10 / 06 / 21
Purpose: Quality of life (QOL) for patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer is negatively affected by conventional radiation (RT) owing to radiation exposure to normal tissues. Proton therapy, via pencil beam scanning (PBS), can better spare many of these tissues, and may thereby improve QOL.
Patients and methods: Patient-reported outcomes were prospectively collected from patients treated from April 2013 to April 2015. Patients were treated with PBS or intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) via volumetric arc therapy after transoral robotic surgery. Validated QOL questionnaires were collected before RT, and 3, 6, and 12 months post RT.
Results: Sixty-four patients were treated with adjuvant RT after transoral robotic surgery, 33 (52%) with volumetric arc therapy, and 31 (48%) with PBS. Both groups were similar in terms of age, site, stage, and dose delivered. Patients receiving PBS had significantly less dose to many normal structures than those receiving IMRT. These dosimetric advantages with PBS were reflected in higher scores in head and neck specific, as well as general, QOL measures. Most notable was significantly less xerostomia with PBS, on multiple patient-reported outcomes at multiple timepoints (6 and 12 months).
Conclusion: Pencil beam scanning, when compared to IMRT, confers a significant dosimetric advantage to many normal organs at risk, with a corresponding benefit in multiple patient-reported QOL parameters in patients receiving adjuvant RT for oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer.
Sharma S, Zhou O, Thompson R, Gabriel P, Chalian A, Rassekh C, Weinstein GS, O'Malley BW Jr, Aggarwal C, Bauml J, Cohen RB, Lukens JN, Swisher-McClure S, Ghiam AF, Ahn PH, Lin A. Quality of Life of Postoperative Photon versus Proton Radiation Therapy for Oropharynx Cancer. Int J Part Ther. 2018 Fall;5(2):11-17. doi: 10.14338/IJPT-18-00032.1. Epub 2018 Nov 30. PMID: 31773030; PMCID: PMC6874189.
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