Proton Beam Therapy for Advanced Periocular Skin Cancer: An Eye-Sparing Approach

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Radiation Oncology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Periocular skin malignancies pose management challenges.
• Proton beam therapy offers precise radiation delivery, sparing healthy tissues.
• Advanced cases often involve orbital invasion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of proton beam therapy for periocular skin cancers.
• To assess outcomes including tumor control, orbital preservation, and toxicity.

Main Methods:

• Thirteen patients with periocular skin cancer received proton therapy (median 66.6 Gy RBE).
• Lesions included basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma; most were advanced with orbital invasion.
• Kaplan-Meier method estimated outcomes; toxicity scored using CTCAE 4.0.

Main Results:

• No local recurrence observed at a median 96-month follow-up.
• 100% orbital preservation and maintained functional vision in all patients.
• No acute or late grade 3+ toxicity reported.

Conclusions:

• Proton therapy provides durable tumor control and eye preservation for advanced periocular skin cancers.
• Further multi-institutional trials are warranted to validate these findings.