HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Gastrointestinal cancer: nonliver proton therapy for gastrointestinal cancers.

Abstract
Multimodality therapy for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers carries considerable risk for toxicity; even single-modality radiation therapy in this population carries with it a daunting side effect profile. Supportive care can certainly mitigate some of the morbidity, but there remain numerous associated acute and late complications that can compromise the therapy and ultimately the outcome. Gastrointestinal cancers inherently occur amid visceral organs that are particularly sensitive to radiotherapy, creating a very narrow therapeutic window for aggressive cell kill with minimal normal tissue damage. Radiation therapy is a critical component of locoregional control, but its use has historically been limited by toxicity concerns, both real and perceived. Fundamental to this is the fact that long-term clinical experience with radiation in GI cancers derives almost entirely from 2-dimensional radiation (plain x-ray-based planning) and subsequently 3-dimensional conformal radiation. The recent use of intensity-modulated photon-based techniques is not well represented in most of the landmark chemoradiation trials. Furthermore, the elusive search for efficacious but tolerable local therapy in GI malignancies raises the possibility that proton radiotherapy's physical and dosimetric differences relative to conventional therapy may make it better suited to the challenge. In many sites, local recurrences after chemoradiation pose a particular challenge, and reirradiation in these sites may be done successfully with proton radiotherapy.
AuthorsJohn P Plastaras, Francesco Dionisi, Jennifer Y Wo
JournalCancer journal (Sudbury, Mass.) (Cancer J) 2014 Nov-Dec Vol. 20 Issue 6 Pg. 378-86 ISSN: 1540-336X [Electronic] United States
PMID25415682 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
Topics
  • Anus Neoplasms (radiotherapy)
  • Esophageal Neoplasms (radiotherapy)
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms (radiotherapy)
  • Humans
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms (radiotherapy)
  • Proton Therapy
  • Radiation Dosage
  • Rectal Neoplasms (radiotherapy)
  • Stomach Neoplasms (radiotherapy)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: