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Head and Neck Cancer pp 325–336Cite as

Proton Beam Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer

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Abstract

The goal of multimodality therapy for head and neck cancer is to improve the therapeutic ratio by increasing the tumor control probability and decreasing treatment-related toxicity. Due to the close spatial relationship of head and neck cancers to numerous normal anatomical structures, conventional photon radiation therapy can be associated with significant acute and long-term treatment-related toxicities. The superior dose-localization properties of proton radiation therapy allow smaller volumes of normal tissues to be irradiated than is feasible with any photon technique. Initial clinical experience with proton radiation therapy in the treatment of head and neck cancers is promising. As the number of proton facilities increases worldwide, prospective clinical trials are underway to define the role of proton radiation in the treatment of head and neck cancers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Danielle N. Margalit MD, MPH

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Judy A. Adams CMD & Hanne M. Kooy PhD

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Annie W. Chan MD

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  1. Danielle N. Margalit MD, MPH
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  2. Judy A. Adams CMD
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  4. Annie W. Chan MD
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Correspondence to Annie W. Chan MD .

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  1. Department of Radio-Oncology, Genolier Swiss Medical Network, Genolier, Switzerland

    Jacques Bernier

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Margalit, D.N., Adams, J.A., Kooy, H.M., Chan, A.W. (2016). Proton Beam Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer. In: Bernier, J. (eds) Head and Neck Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27601-4_18

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