 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2008 Posts: 507 | The issue of PB came up recently at our local H&N support Group.
The Scripps Clinic is building a Proton Treatment center here.
An RO said at one of our recent H&N support group meeting that although we would be hearing a lot about PB, for now there are no plans or known significant advantages in using it for most OC.
He drew some dosimetry graphs on a whiteboard to sort of show us why - but I don't think anyone fully understood.
The exceptions he mentioned were nasopharynx cancers, and I beleive he mention cancers near the optic nerve and brain.
He did mention the possibility of using it like hi-dose SBRT (Cyberknife/Novalis) for recurrence.
It would seem to me that it might better spare the salivary glands - but I didn't bring this up.
Anyway it would be good to get an opinion from anyone treated with PB at MDA, Loma Linda, Mass General, Florida, or one of the other Proton Centers.
Don
TXN2bM0 Stage IVa SCC-Occult Primary
FNA 6/6/08-SCC in node<2cm
PET/CT 6/19/08-SCC in 2nd node<1cm
HiRes CT 6/21/08
Exploratory,Tonsillectomy(benign),Right SND 6/23/08
PEG 7/3/08-11/6/08
35 TomoTherapy 7/16/08-9/04/08 No Chemo
Clear PET/CT 11/15/08, 5/15/09, 5/28/10, 7/8/11
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