Lung Tumors
Proton radiotherapy differs from photon radiotherapy by the absorption of ionizing radiation in the tissues. In the area of medium and low doses of radiation, proton radiotherapy has a better dose distribution, while in the area of high doses proton radiotherapy has a similar dose distribution as compared to photon radiotherapy. Low and medium doses of radiation are source of late and very late side effects of radiotherapy. Therefore the use of proton radiotherapy should be considered in situations where the patient is expected to recover and have a long life expectancy.
Another situation in which the use of protons is appropriate is when the cancer is located near healthy tissues, which can be damaged by conventional radiation, or when photon radiotherapy does not allow the application of safe doses sufficient to eradicate the tumor.
Effectiveness of the current photon radiotherapy
The current unsatisfactory results of radiotherapy require implementation of more aggressive approaches in irradiation treatment – dose escalation, combination of radiotherapy with chemotherapy, amended fractionation regimens. Radiotherapy reaching higher conformity, i.e. proton radiotherapy, allows for more aggressive irradiation regimens with lower doses of radiation for healthy tissues. The striving to improve the treatment outcomes with toxicity minimisation led to the introduction of proton therapy in pulmonary tumors treatment.
Proton therapy has the following contraindications: metastatic disease, N3 nodular affection (according to the TNM classification, 7th edition) and T4 tumours due to multiple foci.
Advantages of proton therapy:
- Allows for increasing the overall radiation dose with lower toxicity = less strain on critical organs.
- Allows for decreasing the radiation dose affecting the healthy tissue of the lungs thereby reducing the risk of emergence of respiratory complaints and the development of pulmonary fibrosis.
- Reduces the radiation dose affecting the cardiac muscle thereby reducing the risk of heart disease.
- Reduces the risk of the development of swallowing difficulties or loss of appetite.
- Allows for enhancing the quality of a patient’s life.
- Allows for the use of fewer therapeutic fractions.