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Head and neck cancers: reporting indications and results of hadrontherapy of a dual beam facility

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Abstract

Purpose

To review experience and indications for head and neck (HN) tumors at our center in relation to the published literature.

Methods

HN cancer patients treated at our center either with protons (PT) or carbon ions (CIRT) were extracted from our institutional retrospective and longitudinal Registry (NCT05203250 REGAL), including all the patients treated since the beginning of our clinical activity. A literature search was conducted with selection of most representative published studies for adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), mucosal melanoma (MM), sinonasal cancers (SNCs) and reirradiations.

Results

Since the beginning of the clinical activity in 2011, 1311 HN tumors have been treated a tour center. Majority of treated patients were ACC (52%), non-ACC salivary gland tumors (18%), paranasal sinuses tumors (9%), MM (7%), and reirradiation of recurrent tumors after previous RT (14%). Oncological outcome in terms of safety and efficacy has been published on the series of 184 ACC and 40 MM, both treated with CIRT in the years 2013–2020. Reviewed reirradiation published series included a cohort of 52 recurrent salivary gland tumors retreated with CIRT from 2013 to 2016, and the experience of 2013–2020 of retreatment of 15 SNCs (13 with CIRT and 2 with PT).

Conclusion

HN tumors are major indications for particle treatment around the world and at our center. Particle treatment might be personalized for each patient, with CIRT indicated for radioresistant tumors such as ACC and MM. Data on oncologic outcomes of CIRT at our center are consistent with published series.

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Funding

This work has been partly founded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under grant agreement No 101008548 (HITRIplus).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiation Oncology Unit, Clinical Department, National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO), CNAO Centro Nazionale Adroterapia Oncologica, Via Erminio Borloni 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Barbara Vischioni, Maria Bonora, Sara Ronchi, Rossana Ingargiola, Anna Maria Camarda, Sara Lillo & Ester Orlandi

  2. Medical Physics Unit, Clinical Department, National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO), Pavia, Italy

    Eleonora Rossi, Stefania Russo, Alfredo Mirandola & Silvia Molinelli

  3. Radiology Unit, Clinical Department, National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO), Pavia, Italy

    Mattia Pecorilla & Sara Imparato

Authors
  1. Barbara Vischioni
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  2. Maria Bonora
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  4. Rossana Ingargiola
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Contributions

Conceptualization: B.V. and E.O.; writing-original draft preparation: B.V.; writing-review and editing: B.V., M.B., S.R. (Sara Ronchi), R.I., A.M.C., S.L., E.R., M.P., S.R. (Stefania Russo), A.M., S.I. and S.M.

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Correspondence to Barbara Vischioni.

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Vischioni, B., Bonora, M., Ronchi, S. et al. Head and neck cancers: reporting indications and results of hadrontherapy of a dual beam facility. Health Technol. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12553-024-00843-w

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