Advances in Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy for Head and Neck Cancer Treatment

A special issue of Current Oncology (ISSN 1718-7729). This special issue belongs to the section "Head and Neck Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 1709

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Director of Medical Physics, Lynn Cancer Institute—Radiation Oncology, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Baptist Health South Florida, 701 NW 13 Street, Boca Raton, FL, USA
Interests: intensity modulated proton therapy; proton arc therapy; adaptive proton therapy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Proton therapy can improve the treatment outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer while minimizing the side effects. Moreover, recent advances in proton therapy technology, including image-guided techniques and intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT), have further enhanced its efficacy and safety in treating head and neck cancer. We encourage submissions that explore the latest research findings in proton therapy for head and neck cancer. Manuscripts may cover topics including, but not limited to, the treatment protocols, patients’ outcomes, comparative studies, technology innovations, and the radiobiological and dosimetric considerations of proton therapy for head and neck cancer.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Suresh Rana
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • head and neck cancer
  • IMPT
  • proton arc
  • proton therapy
  • clinical outcome
  • dosimetry

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

8 pages, 963 KiB  
Article
Quantifying the Dosimetric Impact of Proton Range Uncertainties on RBE-Weighted Dose Distributions in Intensity-Modulated Proton Therapy for Bilateral Head and Neck Cancer
by Suresh Rana, Noufal Manthala Padannayil, Linh Tran, Anatoly B. Rosenfeld, Hina Saeed and Michael Kasper
Curr. Oncol. 2024, 31(7), 3690-3697; https://doi.org/10.3390/curroncol31070272 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1252
Abstract
Background: In current clinical practice, intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) head and neck cancer (HNC) plans are generated using a constant relative biological effectiveness (cRBE) of 1.1. The primary goal of this study was to explore the dosimetric impact of proton range uncertainties on [...] Read more.
Background: In current clinical practice, intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) head and neck cancer (HNC) plans are generated using a constant relative biological effectiveness (cRBE) of 1.1. The primary goal of this study was to explore the dosimetric impact of proton range uncertainties on RBE-weighted dose (RWD) distributions using a variable RBE (vRBE) model in the context of bilateral HNC IMPT plans. Methods: The current study included the computed tomography (CT) datasets of ten bilateral HNC patients who had undergone photon therapy. Each patient’s plan was generated using three IMPT beams to deliver doses to the CTV_High and CTV_Low for doses of 70 Gy(RBE) and 54 Gy(RBE), respectively, in 35 fractions through a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique. Each nominal plan calculated with a cRBE of 1.1 was subjected to the range uncertainties of ±3%. The McNamara vRBE model was used for RWD calculations. For each patient, the differences in dosimetric metrices between the RWD and nominal dose distributions were compared. Results: The constrictor muscles, oral cavity, parotids, larynx, thyroid, and esophagus showed average differences in mean dose (Dmean) values up to 6.91 Gy(RBE), indicating the impact of proton range uncertainties on RWD distributions. Similarly, the brachial plexus, brain, brainstem, spinal cord, and mandible showed varying degrees of the average differences in maximum dose (Dmax) values (2.78–10.75 Gy(RBE)). The Dmean and Dmax to the CTV from RWD distributions were within ±2% of the dosimetric results in nominal plans. Conclusion: The consistent trend of higher mean and maximum doses to the OARs with the McNamara vRBE model compared to cRBE model highlighted the need for consideration of proton range uncertainties while evaluating OAR doses in bilateral HNC IMPT plans. Full article
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