Pro-con of proton: Dosimetric advantages of intensity-modulation over passive scatter for thoracic malignancies

The use of passively scattered proton therapy (PSPT) or intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) opens the potential for dose escalation or critical structure sparing in thoracic malignancies. While the latter offers greater dose conformality, dose distributions are subjected to greater uncertainties, especially due to interplay effects. Exploration in this area is warranted to determine if there is any dosimetric advantages in using IMPT for thoracic malignancies. This review aims to both compare organs-at-risk sparing and plan robustness between PSPT and IMPT and examine the mitigation strategies for the reduction of interplay effects currently available. Early evidence suggests that IMPT is dosimetrically superior to PSPT in thoracic malignancies. Randomised control trials are required before any clinical benefit of IMPT can be confirmed.