Proton beam therapy for oligodendroglioma

Abstract

Abstract With maximal safe surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, many patients with oligodendroglioma live for several years after diagnosis. Many of these survivors suffer long-term sequelae of radiation therapy, including neurocognitive decline, endocrine dysfunction, and secondary malignancy. Several clinicians and investigators have thus sought to eliminate or delay radiation therapy for these patients. Proton therapy utilizes the unique properties of the Bragg peak to decrease the overall integral dose to the brain and adjacent organs. Dosimetric studies and single arm trials suggest promising toxicity outcomes for proton therapy compared to photon therapy, however comparative trials are lacking. Overall, especially with continued technological advances to further the precision and understanding of dose delivery, proton therapy represents a promising way to decrease the late effects of radiation therapy for patients with oligodendroglioma.