Proton therapy for Hodgkin lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma has gone from an incurable disease to one for which the majority of patients will be cured. Combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy achieves the best disease control rates and results in many long-term survivors. As a result, a majority of long-term Hodgkin lymphoma survivors live to experience severe late treatment-related complications, especially cardiovascular disease and second malignancies. The focus of research and treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma is to maintain the current high rates of disease control while reducing treatment-related morbidity and mortality. Efforts to reduce late treatment complications focus on improvements in both systemic therapies and radiotherapy. Herein we review the basis for the benefits of proton therapy over conventional X-ray therapy. We review outcomes of Hodgkin lymphoma treated with proton therapy, and discuss the ability of protons to reduce radiation dose to organs at risk and the impact on the most significant late complications related to the treatment.