Proton Therapy for Head and Neck Tumors
Treat Head and Neck Cancer With Proton Therapy
Head and neck cancer refers to a group of cancers that develop in the tissues and organs in the head and neck region. This includes the mouth, throat, nose, sinuses, salivary glands and lymph nodes in the neck. The most common type of head and neck cancer is squamous cell carcinoma, which starts in the thin, flat cells that line the inside of the mouth, throat, and other parts of the head and neck.
The use of proton therapy to treat head and neck cancers can offer several benefits compared to traditional radiation therapy. Proton therapy typically allows for less collateral exposure to the throat, voice box, eyes, brainstem, spinal cord and mouth compared to photon therapy. This can lead to lower rates of feeding tube placement during treatment, better functioning (returning to work, etc.) in the aftermath of treatment, less weight loss, less dry mouth, and less lack of taste.
Comparison image – Proton Therapy is on the left, Photon Therapy is on the right
Patient Experience
“If you’re considering proton treatment, the best advice I can give you is, don’t think twice, get it,” says Maryland Proton Treatment Center Patient Mary Gow. Watch her story in the video above.
The Maryland Proton Treatment Center (MPTC) Uses Proton Therapy to Treat a Variety of Head and Neck Cancers:
- Base of tongue cancer
- Lacrimal gland cancer
- Nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancers
- Esthesioneuroblastoma
- Nasopharynx cancer
- Salivary gland cancer
- Skin with perineural invasion
- Throat cancer (nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal)
- Thyroid cancer
- Tonsil cancer
- Tumors of the orbit
- Oral cavity cancer
- Cancers involving lymph glands in the neck
