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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
Published on: February 6, 2019
A prospective study of hypofractionated proton beam therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Nobuyoshi Fukumitsu1, Shinji Sugahara, Hidetsugu Nakayama
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tennodai, Tsukuba, Japan.
Purpose:
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of hypofractionated proton beam therapy for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods And Materials:
Between September 2001 and August 2004, 51 patients with HCC greater than 2 cm away from the porta hepatis or gastrointestinal tract were treated with proton beam therapy to 66 Gy-equivalents (GyE) in 10 fractions.
Results:
Overall survival rates were 49.2 and 38.7% at 3 and 5 years after treatment. Local control rates were 94.5 and 87.8% at 3 and 5 years after treatment. Posttreatment serum alpha-fetoprotein values were significantly reduced when compared with pretreatment values (p < 0.0001). Patients experienced only minor acute reactions of Grade 1 or less, and 3 patients experienced late sequelae of Grade 2 or higher. However, there were no treatment-related deaths.
Conclusions:
Hypofractionated proton beam therapy is safe and well-tolerated by patients with HCC located greater than 2 cm away from the porta hepatis or gastrointestinal tract and may be effective alternative to other modalities.
