Proton Therapy Lowers Treatment Side Effects in Pediatric Head and Neck Cancer Patients

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Penn, CHOP study finds treatment is just as effective as photon radiation while improving quality of life

 

Pediatric patients with head and neck cancer can be treated with proton beam therapy (PBT) instead of traditional photon radiation, and it will result in similar outcomes with less impact on quality of life. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania as well as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia analyzed cases of pediatric head and neck cancer treated with PBT between 2010 and 2016 and found similar rates of tumor control and lower rates of toxicity than what is historically expected from photon radiation. 

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Cancers of the head and neck account for about 12 percent of all pediatric cancers, and they are generally different tumor types than those that affect adults. For solid tumors like neuroblastoma, thyroid cancer, and soft tissue sarcomas, treatment usually involves a combination of therapies including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Post-operative radiation can be critical, since surgeons may not be able to completely remove all cancer given the complexity of the head and neck region.

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