Reporting from PTCOG 2012

OncoLink reporters provide up-to-date coverage of the annual Particle Therapy Cooperative Group (PTCOG 51) meeting in NCC, Goyang and Seoul, South Korea, May, 14-19, 2012.

Analysis of Proton Therapy Technique Robustness for Prostate Plans Based on CT Surveillance Presenter: Curtiland Deville, Maura Kirk Presenter's Institution: Hospital of the University of Penn, Philadelphia, PA Background Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer found in men, with approximately 200,000 cases occurring per...
Carbon vs. Proton for Innovative Applications of Particle Beam Therapy Panelists/Institutions: William Chu, Berkeley National Laboratory (Moderator) Stephanie Combs, University Hospital of Heidelberg Thomas DeLaney, Massachusetts General Hospital Daniel Gomez, MD Anderson Cancer Center Eugen Hug,...
Compilation of Worldwide Past and Current Clinical Trials in Proton and Carbon Beam Therapy Presenting Author/Institution: Huan Giap, PTCOG Background Currently there is no database of proton therapy completed and open protocols for patients or physicians. Such a service would be very helpful for both patient care needs as well as...
Concurrent Dose-Escalated Proton Therapy and IMRT for Sinonasal Cancer: Initial Clinical Experience Presenting Author/Institution: Mark William McDonald, MD Indiana University Health Proton Therapy Background Sinonasal malignancies are often managed with radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone without surgical resection. In this definitive...
Eye Tracking and Gating System for Proton Therapy of Uveal Melanomas Presenting Author/Institution: Dongho Shin, Proton Therapy Center, National Cancer Center, Korea Background Ocular melanoma is an uncommon malignancy, usually occurring in the uvea of the eye. For asymptomatic patients and small tumors...
High Dose Proton Therapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma of Trunk Type of Session: Scientific Session Presenter: Hiroshi Fuji Presenter's Institution: Shizuoka Cancer Center, Japan Background Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of tumors that originate from muscle, fat, and tendons. Soft tissue sarcomas are a rare group of cancers and encompass...
How much is the Proton Range Uncertainty? An End-to-end Study Using Various Animal Tissues Presenting Author/Institution: Yuanshui Zheng, ProCure Proton Therapy Center Background The physical advantage of proton therapy is that particles have a finite range and, therefore, normal, healthy structures that are beyond the area of tumor...
Long Term Results of Proton Beam Radiotherapy for Clival Chordomas/Chondrosarcomas Presenting Author/Institution: Yasutaka Hayashi, Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital, Japan Background Tumors of the skull base often arise in the clivus. Common pathologies include chordomas, which are slow-growing, locally aggressive tumors...
Long-Term Follow-Up on Phase II Study of High-Dose Proton/Photon Radiotherapy for Spine Sarcomas Presenting Author/Institution: Thomas DeLaney, MD/Massachusetts General Hospital Background The primary treatment of tumors of the spine and paraspinal tissues is challenging; surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment but negative margins...
MRI Changes in Pediatric Patients with Low Grade Gliomas Treated with Proton or Photon Radiotherapy Presenter: Murali Chintagumpala, Anita Mahajan Presenter's Institution: Baylor Pediatric Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Background Astrocytomas are the most common primary brain tumor in children. Low grade...
Panel Discussion: Particle Beam Scanning - The New Frontier in Particle Therapy Moderator: Jay Flanz, Massachusetts General Hospital Panelists: Pedroni Eros, Paul Scherrer Institute Clasie Ben, Massachusetts General Hospital Zhu Ron, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Stephanie E Combs, University Hospital of Heidelberg ...
Preliminary Patient Reported Outcomes after Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer Presenter: James Metz, Christine Hill-Kayser Presenter's Institution: Hospital of the University of Penn, Philadelphia, PA Background Cancer survivorship is on the rise, with an estimated 12 million cancer survivors living in the United...
Promising Survival in Patients with Stage III NSCLC Treated with 74 GyE Proton Therapy/Chemotherapy Presenter: Joe Chang Presenter's Institution: University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Background Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) is a common and deadly disease, and treatment is associated with significant toxicity. Over...
Proton Therapy for Craniopharyngioma in Children: the Orsay Proton Centre Experience Presenting Author/Institution: Claire Alapetite, Proton Center of Orsay, Institut Curie, France Background Craniopharyngiomas are benign intracranial tumors arising from Rathke's pouch in the sellar region. While they do not have the potential...
Proton Therapy of Cancers of the Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinuses Presenter: Robert Malyapa Presenter's Institution: University of Florida Proton Center Background Nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses cancers are rare tumors and compose 3-4% of all head and neck cancers. Approximately 2000 people are...
Secondary Neutron Doses Received by Pediatric Patients during intracranial Proton Therapy Treatment Presenter: Rima Sayah Presenter's Institution: Institute Curie, France Background Proton therapy represents a major advance in radiation therapy with excellent dose distributions around the tumor, potentially improving local control while...
The Value of Dose Constraints for Organs at Risk in Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer Presenting Author/Institution: Nancy Mendenhall, MD, University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute Background Prostate cancer is the leading cancer diagnosis in men. Treatment options include radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy, and/or...
Toxicities of Pelvic Organs after High-Dose, Spot Scanning Based Proton Therapy for Sacral Neoplasms Presenter: Ralf Alexander Schneider Presenter's Institution: Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland Background Mesenchymal tumors are tumors originating in tissues that develop into bone, cartilage, and muscle. Although rare as a whole, three...