PROTON THERAPY FOR HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most significant causes of cancer mortality worldwide. It generally has a poor prognosis as it is an aggressive and rapidly infiltrating tumor, with patients presenting with large, multifocal tumors and vessel invasion. Moreover, many HCC patients have a number of morbidities which make them non-candidates for surgical resection or transplantation. Thus, there is a strong impetus to develop better methods of local treatment.

Historically, external beam radiotherapy has played a very limited role in HCC due to a high incidence of toxicity to surrounding normal structures. However, proton radiotherapy has seen an increasing role in the treatment of HCC, as the ability to deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumor is a key factor in improving its outcomes. The excellent toxicity profiles and durable in-field local control rates make proton radiotherapy an attractive option for localized HCC.