Prospective clinical trial of upright image-guided proton therapy for locally recurrent head and neck and brain malignancies

Abstract

Purpose: The advent of commercially available vertical CT systems has renewed interest in gantry-less proton therapy (PT), in which patients are treated in an upright position using a fixed beamline and robotic positioning. This study evaluates the feasibility, safety, and preliminary efficacy of novel gantry-less image-guided adaptive PT (IGAPT) for recurrent head and neck (HN) and brain malignancies. Materials and methods: A planned interim analysis was performed on 20 adult patients with recurrent HN (80 %) and brain (20 %) cancers, median age 62 years, with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status ≤2. Patients underwent upright and supine imaging and simulation, followed by treatment planning comparing upright PT to conventional supine intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Dosimetric analyses focused on organ-at-risk (OAR) sparing and target coverage. Toxicities were assessed prospectively every three months using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE). Results: Gantry-less PT demonstrated significant dosimetric advantages over photon IMRT, including reduced doses to critical OARs including brainstem (6 Gy(RBE) vs. 19.1 Gy; p < 0.001) and spinal cord (12.5 Gy(RBE) vs. 18.3 Gy; p < 0.006). At 3-month follow-up (n = 14), a complete response was observed in 64.3 % of evaluable patients and a partial response in 21.4 %. Most toxicities were mild-to-moderate (grades 1–2), primarily dermatitis (55 %), fatigue (45 %), and mucositis (31.3 %). Grade 3 toxicities occurred in four patients (20 %). There were no device-related deaths. Conclusions: This first clinical evaluation of a novel gantry-less IGAPT system confirms its feasibility, safety, and promising efficacy for recurrent HN and brain cancer, with superior dosimetry and high local control rates. Its cost-effective design may improve global access to the IGAPT.