PTCOG Ocular Statement: Expert Summary of Current Practices and Future Developments in Ocular Proton Therapy

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Ophthalmology
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Ocular tumors pose significant risks to vision, quality of life, and survival.
• Ocular proton therapy (OPT) is an established treatment modality for these rare cancers.
• Evidence and expert consensus are needed to guide current practices and future developments in OPT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an evidence and expert-based executive summary of current practices and future developments in ocular proton therapy.
• To highlight the importance of comparative dosimetric and clinical analysis of different OPT systems.
• To establish benchmarks for eye preservation, vision, and quality of life measures.

Main Methods:

• Review of current practices and prospective trials in ocular proton therapy.
• Comparative dosimetric and clinical analysis of different OPT systems and radiation modalities.
• Integration of multimodal imaging, ophthalmologist assessment, and surgical planning with radiation planning.

Main Results:

• Comparative analysis is essential for setting planning guidelines and best practices in OPT.
• Prospective trials can evaluate differences in radiation delivery, tumor control, and complication rates.
• Multimodal imaging and integrated planning are key to successful treatment.

Conclusions:

• Future development of OPT requires maintaining and upgrading facilities, including dedicated low-energy and adapted gantry beams.
• Commercial treatment-planning systems are expected to increase in use.
• Successful OPT services depend on high patient throughput and close multidisciplinary cooperation.