Clinical practice of breast cancer protontherapy: A single-centre experience from selection to treatment

Breast protontherapy efficiently limits cardiac, lung and contralateral breast exposure, which may clinically translate into better late tolerance profile compared with classic photon techniques. While breast protontherapy is already implemented in the United States and in some European countries, clinical experience of breast cancer protontherapy is currently limited in France. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical practice of breast cancer protontherapy at the Institut Curie in order to implement this technique at a larger scale.

Data from all breast cancer patients that have been addressed to the protontherapy centre of Orsay (CPO, Institut Curie) for adjuvant breast protontherapy were retrieved. We analysed why these patients were ultimately treated with protontherapy or not.

Between November 2019 and November 2020, eleven breast cancer patients have been evaluated for adjuvant protontherapy at the CPO. Two of them were ultimately treated with proton beams; adjuvant breast protontherapy therapy was well tolerated. The nine other patients were not treated with protontherapy due to lack of availability of protontherapy treatment rooms in acceptable time limits, at the time of patient evaluation.

Despite dosimetric advantages and excellent clinical tolerance, lack of availability of protontherapy machines currently limits wider implementation of breast protontherapy.