ASTRO: Penn Medicine studies point to clinical advantages of proton therapy

Studies demonstrated lower toxicities, positive survival outcomes for lung, pancreatic and spine cancers

Public Release by: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

October 19th 2015 - Today, at the 57th American Society for Radiating Oncology (ASTRO), several presentations that include the results from clinical trials produced at the Robert Proton Therapy Center in Philadelphia, were delivered to highlight proton therapy's potential benefits over conventional photon therapy.

One study, presented by Jill Remick, MD (co-authored Charles Simone, MD and Abigail Berman, MD) for late-stage, non-small cell lung cancer found that, "radiation is typically given to these patients after surgery to remove a tumor; however, studies have shown that the toxicity of conventional radiation can outweigh its benefits. Proton therapy appears to be well-tolerated, while maintaining the positive clinical outcomes witnessed with IMRT."

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