Proton Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer: A 12-Year, Single-Institution Experience

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiation Oncology
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Head and neck cancer (HNC) presents diverse treatment challenges.
• Proton therapy (PT) offers potential advantages in dose distribution for HNC.
• Evaluating long-term outcomes of PT in HNC is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy and safety of proton therapy (PT) for head and neck cancer (HNC).
• To characterize disease control and toxicity profiles in a large HNC cohort treated with PT.
• To establish a benchmark for future PT studies in HNC.

Main Methods:

• Prospective data collection from 573 HNC patients treated with PT.
• Kaplan-Meier method for estimating survival and control rates.
• Toxicity assessment using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v4.03).

Main Results:

• At a median follow-up of 2.4 years, 5-year overall survival was 75%, local-regional control was 78%, and disease-free survival was 63%.
• 51% of patients experienced grade 3 acute or late toxicity.
• Common primary sites included oropharynx, paranasal sinus, and periorbital tissues.

Conclusions:

• Proton therapy (PT) shows favorable disease control and toxicity outcomes for head and neck cancer (HNC).
• This decade of experience provides valuable data for HNC patient treatment with PT.
• Results serve as a reference for future comparative studies and clinical trials.