Proton Therapy for CNS and Skull Base Tumors is Gentle on Surrounding Brain Tissue

WIENER NEUSTADT, Austria - March 14, 2024 - PRLog -- The incidence of radiation-induced contrast enhancement in healthy tissue following proton beam therapy of tumors in the central nervous system (CNS) is low. This is the outstanding result of a study at MedAustron, Center for Ion Therapy and teaching and research site of the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, which examined the side effects of treating tumors in the CNS or near the base of the skull. The recently published results also show that the clinical course of this change is mostly unremarkable and does not affect patients' quality of life. The study examined the occurrence and progression of an abnormality known as radiation-induced contrast enhancement in the vicinity of irradiated tumors. The study included 421 patients treated over a period of 4 years.

Particle therapy is the state of the art in cancer treatment. Charged particles such as protons (or carbon ions) are directed at tumors with high energy to destroy them. A major advantage of this form of therapy is that the particle beams can be stopped at a specific point in the tissue, thereby reducing the impact on healthy tissue. Among the known effects on surrounding tissue is an effect known as RICE (Radiation-Induced Contrast Enhancement), which shows up as a strong contrast in radiological images. How often, when, in what progression and with what effects on the quality of life these changes occur has now been investigated in a study at MedAustron. The focus was on the treatment of tumors of the CNS or near the skull base.

Original Publication
https://kris.kl.ac.at/en/publications/prospective-analysis-of-radiation-induced-contrast-enhancement-ri

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