Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 8, 2026
Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
Published on: February 6, 2019
Prospective, randomized dose-escalation trial with proton-based radiation for skull base and cervical spine
Myrsini Ioakeim-Ioannidou1, Beow Y Yeap2, Zainab O Soetan2
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background:
To determine if dose escalation improves outcomes for chondrosarcomas (CHS) of the base of the skull (BOS) and the cervical spine (CS).
Methods:
A prospective, randomized, dose-escalation trial was designed for patients with CHS of the BOS and CS. Patients were randomly assigned to 70 Gy (RBE) or 76 Gy (RBE). The primary endpoint was local failure (LF). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), progression-free survival (PFS), and treatment-related toxicities.
Results:
Between 1987 and 2007, 105 patients were randomized, median follow-up was 29.2 years (IQR, 26.7-32.4). Forty-six patients were assigned to 70 Gy (RBE) and 59 were assigned to 76 Gy (RBE). LF at 5-, 10-, and 20 years were 7%, 9%, and 11% for 70 Gy (RBE), and 10%, 15%, and 19% for 76 Gy (RBE) (P = .16). Like LF rates, there was no benefit in dose escalation for OS (P = .28) and CSS (P = .22). Progression-free survival at 5-, 10-, and 20 years was 93%, 89%, and 77% for the low-dose group and 83%, 71%, and 59% for the high-dose group (P = .069). Late RT injury ≥ grade 3 was reported in a total of 19 (18%) patients across both dose levels, with 11% in the low-dose group and 24% in the high-dose group (P = .13).
Conclusions:
This is the first and largest trial of patients with grade I/II BOS and CS CHS evaluating dose escalation for tumor control. Proton-based RT is effective and safe for these tumors, but there is no apparent benefit in dose escalation.
Clinical Trial Information:
NCT00592748.
