Proton therapy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Francesco Dionisi; Daniele Scartoni; Francesco Fracchiolla; Irene Giacomelli; Benedetta Siniscalchi; Lucia Goanta; Marco Cianchetti; Giuseppe Sanguineti; Alberto Brolese

doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.959552

Proton therapy in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Front Oncol. 2022 Aug 8:12:959552. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.959552. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Francesco Dionisi¹, Daniele Scartoni², Francesco Fracchiolla², Irene Giacomelli², Benedetta Siniscalchi², Lucia Goanta³, Marco Cianchetti², Giuseppe Sanguineti¹, Alberto Brolese⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy.
² Proton Therapy Unit, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari, Trento, Italy.
³ Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Napoli, Italy.
⁴ General Surgery & Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Unit, Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari, Trento, Italy.

Abstract

Liver cancer represents one of the most common causes of death from cancer worldwide. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for 90% of all primary liver cancers. Among local therapies, evidence regarding the use of radiation therapy is growing. Proton therapy currently represents the most advanced radiation therapy technique with unique physical properties which fit well with liver irradiation. Here, in this review, we aim to 1) illustrate the rationale for the use of proton therapy (PT) in the treatment of HCC, 2) discuss the technical challenges of advanced PT in this disease, 3) review the major clinical studies regarding the use of PT for HCC, and 4) analyze the potential developments and future directions of PT in this setting.

Keywords: active scanning; hepatocellular carcinoma; photon therapy; proton therapy; review.

Publication types

Review