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Review | Open Access

Proton beam radiation therapy treatment for head and neck cancer

Nader Mohamed1, Anna Lee2, Nancy Y. Lee1( )
Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer, Center New York, NY, USA
Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Abstract

Proton beam therapy has gained popularity over recent years. This is likely due to improved affordability; that is, lower cost, and increasing reports on excellent patient-reported outcomes. Protons' physical properties provide dosimetric advantages over photon therapy due to the unique ability to have little-to-no "exit" dose, potentially translating to reduced toxicities and improved patient quality of life. The increased delivery of proton beam therapy to treat numerous head and neck cancers, including oropharynx, nasopharynx, sinonasal, in the re-irradiation setting, and unilateral malignancies, has led to more studies elucidating the clinical risks and benefits. In this review, we aim to summarize the recent literature on proton beam therapy utilization in head and neck cancer. In addition, we discuss the process of treatment and planning, clinical treatment toxicities and outcomes, limitations, and future directions.

Keywords

proton therapyhead and neckradiation oncology

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Precision Radiation Oncology
Volume 6 Issue 1,
March 2022
Pages 59-68
DOI: 10.1002/pro6.1135
Cite this article:
Mohamed N, Lee A, Lee NY. Proton beam radiation therapy treatment for head and neck cancer. Precision Radiation Oncology, 2022, 6(1): 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1002/pro6.1135

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Received: 13 July 2021
Accepted: 13 September 2021
Published: 01 December 2021
© 2022 The Authors. Precision Radiation Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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