Comparison of stereotactic photon and proton treatment plans for metastasis-directed radiotherapy

Background and purpose

Achieving optimal local control is pivotal in the context of metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) in delaying further metastatic spread. The clear correlation between the biological equivalent dose (BED) and local control, with rates reaching 99 % when BED exceeds 100 Gy using an α:β ratio of 3, underlines the importance of investigating advanced radiation modalities.

Materials & methods

A planning study was conducted in 20 patients treated for 38 lesions to compare photon based and proton based stereotactic radiation therapy in oligoprogressive metastatic castration-refractory prostate cancer patients. The primary objective was to determine whether proton therapy is achieving a satisfactory BED₃ of > 100 Gy using the voxel wise minimum dose in more patients when compared with photon therapy respecting the dose constraints for the organs-at-risk.

Results

Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) achieved a satisfactory BED₃ > 100 Gy in 75 % and 78 % of the cases, respectively. A significance difference was observed in favor of IMPT for vowel-wise minimum gross tumor volume (GTV) D_99% (p < 0.001). IMPT provided significant organs at risk (OAR) sparing, making it a promising modality for reducing long-term toxicities.

Conclusion

Proton therapy may reduce long-term treatment-related toxicities and be more effective for re-irradiation. It achieves a satisfactory BED₃ of > 100 Gy in more patients as photon therapy with a statistically significant advantage in voxel wise minimum GTV D_99%.