Intensity-modulated proton therapy for oropharyngeal cancer reduces rates of late xerostomia

Radiotherapy is one of the main treatment modalities for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), especially human papillomavirus-associated OPC [1 –4]. However, radiotherapy can cause severe xerostomia, which can dramatically and irreversibly impair quality of life [5]. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), which markedly reduces the incidence of xerostomia when compared with conventional radiotherapy, is now considered the standard radio therapy technique for head and neck cancer [6,7]. However, IMRT is inherently limited by the physical properties of photon beams and still inevitably results in xerostomia.

Source: Radiotherapy and Oncology - April 8, 2021 Category: Radiology Authors: Jianzhong Cao, Xiaodong Zhang, Bo Jiang, Jiayun Chen, Xiaochun Wang, Li Wang, Narayan Sahoo, X. Ronald Zhu, Rong Ye, Pierre Blanchard, Adam S. Garden, C. David Fuller, G. Brandon Gunn, Steven J. Frank Tags: Original Article Source Type: research