The risk for developing a secondary cancer after breast radiation therapy: Comparison of photon and proton techniques

The use of a specific treatment technique in radiation therapy is mainly motivated by the achievable dose conformity to the target and the overall integral dose. Proton therapy offers a highly conformal and comprehensive treatment option with a lower integral dose (reduced low-dose bath) to organs at risk (OARs). Consequently, given the proximity of cardiopulmonary structures, proton therapy has been discussed as a treatment alternative for breast cancer patients [1 –3]. Treatment planning studies, comparing 3DCRT, IMRT, and proton therapy when irradiating the breast and regional nodes showed advantages of using proton therapy particularly in terms of dose to the heart [4–6].

Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology - May 23, 2020 Category: Radiology Authors: Harald Paganetti, Nicolas Depauw, Andrew Johnson, Rachel Beth Forman, Jackson Lau, Rachel Jimenez Tags: Original Article Source Type: research