Proton Radiation Therapy for Local Control in a Case of Osteosarcoma of the Neck

A 33-year-old man with symptomatic, unresectable osteosarcoma of the neck experienced disease progression despite treatment with multiple systemic agents. Given the tumor location, adjacent to the spinal cord and encasing the brachial plexus, proton beam therapy was recommended instead of conventional photon radiation therapy. The treatment was delivered in 3 weekly 10 cobalt-gray equivalents fractions, and there was minimal associated toxicity. There has been significant improvement in the patient's presenting symptoms as well as radiologically stable disease at 1 year. A photon intensity-modulated radiation therapy plan was created retrospectively for dosimetric comparison and demonstrated noninferiority, thereby highlighting the need for judicious use of proton therapy in certain cases.