Proton therapy is generally preferred for treating solid tumors in children because it delivers less radiation to healthy tissue, which helps prevent serious complications and causes fewer short- and long-term side effects. The following diagram shows the difference in radiation dose between protons and the most sophisticated form of X-ray radiation in treating a common pediatric cancer, medulloblastoma. Proton therapy delivers less radiation to the heart, lungs and abdomen for pediatric patients with medulloblastoma. Less radiation to these critical organs reduces the likelihood that patients will experience adverse effects years after treatment.
Medulloblastomas tend to spread through the cerebrospinal fluid to the spinal cord or to other parts of the brain. They may also spread to other parts of the body, but this is rare. Medulloblastomas are most common in children and young adults. They are a type of central nervous system embryonal tumor.
A number of complications can result with the use of X-ray radiation therapy for pediatric brain cancer. Because the hypothalamus is close to the site of radiation, the neurohormones produced in that organ can be affected. These neurohormones stimulate the secretion of growth and thyroid hormones, which are particularly important in a growing child.
Research has shown that proton therapy may significantly reduce the likelihood and/or amount of developmental abnormalities, growth delays, reductions in IQ, and other complications that often occur with standard X-ray radiation.
Protons are preferred in many pediatric cancers, including:
- Anaplastic astrocytoma
- Atypical teratoid/Rhabdoid tumor
- Chordoma
- Craniopharyngioma
- Desmoid tumor
- Ependymoma
- Ewing’s Sarcoma
- Gliomas, including optic pathway/hypothalamic glioma, oligodendroglioma, oligoastrocytoma
- Glioblastoma
- Intracranial germ cell tumors (germinoma)
- Juvenile angiofibromas
- Lymphoma
- Medulloblastoma
- Meningioma
- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
- Neuroblastoma
- Osteosarcoma
- Pineoblastoma
- Retinoblastoma
- Rhabdomyosarcoma
Medulloblastomas tend to spread through the cerebrospinal fluid to the spinal cord or to other parts of the brain. They may also spread to other parts of the body, but this is rare. Medulloblastomas are most common in children and young adults. They are a type of central nervous system embryonal tumor.
Studies show that using proton therapy to control pediatric tumors provides excellent results while reducing damage to healthy tissue and reducing the likelihood of cancers occurring at other sites in the body.
Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a type of tumor that occurs in the socket (or orbit) that houses the eye. This cancer is curable 85% of the time. While the studies on treating this cancer with proton therapy are small in size, the results show great promise. In a study done at Massachusetts General Hospital, proton therapy delivered less radiation to normal tissue than X-rays, and, six years later, patients experienced fewer side effects.
