Per the study’s press release, proton radiation is more “precisely focused” than photon radiation, which lessens the chance healthy tissue surrounding the target area will be affected. Previous research shows that significant hearing loss occurs in about 25 percent of patients who receive photon radiotherapy, the researchers said.
Advertisement
The study, led by Massachusetts General Hospital, said: ‘Our findings suggest that proton radiotherapy seems to result in an acceptable degree of toxicity and had similar survival outcomes to those achieved with photon-based radiotherapy.
The study, suggests the therapy is also as effective as other treatments.
After five years, their survival rate was similar to that of patients treated with conventional X-ray radiotherapy, but there were fewer side effects to the heart and lungs.
Ashya King, six, was being treated for a brain tumor at Southampton Hospital in August a year ago when his parents made a decision to take him overseas for proton beam therapy.
Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain cancer in children, and develops at the rear and base of the brain, near the bottom of the skull.
The latest study into the benefits and effectiveness of proton therapy was carried out at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Proton beam therapy is useful for treating children whose bodies are still developing, as it limits the damage of radiation to other vital organs, such as the heart and liver. Twelve percent of patients experienced hearing loss after three years of treatment, while 16 percent experienced this loss after five years.
Proton therapy is a highly targeted treatment often used on hard-to-reach cancers and has a lower risk of damaging other body tissue.
From the 59 patients aged 3 to 21, 55% percent had issues with their neuroendocrine systems, and 1 in 7 has serious hearing issues after 5 years; however, this is far better than the alternatives, which would also cause cardiac, gastrointestinal and pulmonary serious side effects.
The NHS did not offer proton beam therapy in the United Kingdom at the time and refused to refer Ashya to a foreign clinic.
Writing in a linked Comment, Dr David R Grosshans, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA, says: “I believe that radiation oncologists have always understood that our treatments are associated with the potential for severe adverse effects”.
The proton therapy was not offered to Ashya on the NHS, although the health service later agreed to fund his treatment.
The biggest find is that the proton therapy is just as effective as conventional radiation in curing patients and does so with much less toxicity that helps the quality of life of the patients.
The study was published online January 29 in The Lancet Oncology.
Advertisement
He concludes: “This study sets a new benchmark for the treatment of paediatric medulloblastoma and alludes to the clinical benefits of advanced radiation therapies”.
