FAIRFAX, Va., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Proton beam therapy offers a clear
advantage over both conventional external beam radiation therapy and intensity
modulated radiation therapy for treatment of the posterior fossa and spinal
column in children with brain tumors, according to a study in the March 1,
2004, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics
-- the official journal of ASTRO, the American Society for Therapeutic
Radiology and Oncology.
Advances in treatment methods for medulloblastoma -- malignant tumors that
develop in the cerebella -- have led to increased survival rates for children
affected by this disease. Now that more and more children are surviving this
disease, researchers are investigating ways to reduce the side effects from
the standard combination of surgery, external beam radiation and chemotherapy.
This study compares the plans for three methods of treating the craniospinal
axis in children with medulloblastoma in an effort to establish a more
sophisticated radiation beam delivery that reduces radiation doses to nearby
brain tissues.
The study examines side-by-side the isodose distributions and dose-volume
histograms (DVHs) of target and nontarget sites of IMRT and proton treatment
plans with those from a conventional external beam therapy plan. In the first
treatment plan, the study used conventional radiation beams to treat the
craniospinal axis irradiation with a boost of radiation to the posterior
fossa. The second plan consisted of whole-brain irradiation with conventional
external radiation and IMRT. The third used whole-brain irradiation using
proton fields matched to a posterior-anterior proton spine field.
The study shows that proton beam therapy yielded the greatest dose
reduction for surrounding tissues evaluated. While the study revealed that
both IMRT and proton treatments offer substantial benefits over standard
external beam therapy, proton treatment emerged as superior to IMRT in sparing
nearby brain tissues while delivering the most conformal treatment to the
posterior fossa.
With proton beam therapy, says study coauthor Jay S. Loeffler, M.D.,
medical teams can deliver "a conformal dose of radiation to the posterior
fossa in an extremely elegant manner, reducing the integral dose that might be
seen with conformal external beam therapy techniques." Loeffler is the Herman
and Joan Suit Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at
Harvard Medical School's Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "For
children requiring radiation treatment for medulloblastoma," says Loeffler,
"it is clear, both for the cranial and spinal areas, that protons produce
superior dose distributions over both external beam and IMRT plans."
The American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology is the largest
radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 7,500 members who
specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading
organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society's mission
is to advance the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in
patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional
development, promoting research and disseminating research results and
representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare
environment.
SOURCE American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
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Related links:
http://www.astro.org
CONTACT:
Beth Bukata of the American Society for
Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, +1-703-227-0141,
bethb@astro.org
NOTE TO EDITORS: To arrange an interview with Jay S. Loeffler,
M.D., or to obtain a copy of the study, please call Beth Bukata
at 703-227-0141 or e- mail her at bethb@astro.org.
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