Proton Beam Radiation Therapy for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: William M Mendenhall, University of Florida; Jonathan Beitler, Emory University; Nabil Saba, Emory University; Ashok R Shaha, Department of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.; Sandra Nuyts, Department of Radiation Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.; Primož Strojan, Department of Radiation Oncology, Institute of Oncology, Ljubljana, Slovenia.; Heleen Bollen, Department of Radiation Oncology, Leuven Cancer Institute, University Hospitals Leuven, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.; Oded Cohen, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology, Soroka Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Affiliated with Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.; Robert Smee, Department of Radiation Oncology, The Prince of Wales Cancer Centre, Sydney, NSW, Australia.; Sweet P Ng, Department of Radiation Oncology, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia.; Avraham Eisbruch, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.; Wai Tong Ng, Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.; Jessica M Kirwan, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.; Alfia Ferlito, Coordinator of the International Head and Neck Scientific Group, Padua, Italy.
• Language: English
• Date: 2023
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: 2023 The Author(s)
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.14338/IJPT-22-00030.1
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Int J Part Ther
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 243
• End Page: 252
• Grant/Funding Information: The authors have no funding to disclose.
• Keywords: head and neck cancer; oropharynx; cancer outcomes; particle therapy
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Health Sciences, Oncology

Abstract

PURPOSE: To discuss the role of proton beam therapy (PBT) in the treatment of patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of the pertinent literature. RESULTS: Proton beam therapy likely results in reduced acute and late toxicity as compared with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The extent of the reduced toxicity, which may be modest, depends on the endpoint and technical factors such as pencil beam versus passive scattered PBT and adaptive replanning. The disease control rates after PBT are likely similar to those after IMRT. CONCLUSION: Proton beam therapy is an attractive option to treat patients with OPSCC. Whether it becomes widely available depends on access.