"This type of technology, along with our extensive experience in treating more types of childhood cancer than most other proton centers worldwide, continues MD Anderson's mission to provide pediatric patient care with the most advanced, research-based therapies as are available to our adult patients," he added.

MD Anderson has treated over 300 patients with pencil beam to date - both adult and pediatric patients.


Eloquent Treatment Planning Masters Complex Tumors

Pencil beam is only as good as the complex and intricate treatment planning systems used to direct the beam's motion, depth and strength. As these systems evolve to the extent of pencil beam's capabilities, the team at MD Anderson's Proton Therapy Center will tackle cancer's most difficult tumors based on their shape and location in the patient.

"The beauty of pencil beam is that we have the ability to target the tumor with exquisite accuracy and spare surrounding healthy tissue and structures," Mahajan said. "It's best utilized when we need to conform high doses of radiation to irregularly shaped tumors embedded near or wrapped around critical structures in the head and neck, such as the eye or brain." The advantage lies in the beam's capacity to approach the tumor from multiple directions, creating a "U" shape around these structures and avoiding them entirely during treatment. Side effects common after standard radiation therapy are reduced and healthy organs are preserved because the radiation is confined to the tumor.

The future introduction of intensity modulated proton therapy at MD Anderson will also be possible as pencil beam delivery is further developed. Intensity modulated proton therapy uses the same pencil beam configuration, but the energy or intensity of the proton beam can be adjusted at any time to penetrate the tumor at varying depths. "This is the holy grail of radiation therapy," Lee said. "Starting with pencil beam, and then working to develop treatment plans marrying the two together, is necessary to achieve this degree of sophistication for our patients."

Zeroing in on Advances for the Patient

A pioneer in radiation oncology, MD Anderson has paved the way for more effective radiation therapy around the world. The Proton Therapy Center will continue to make strides in the field by making the combination of precision and potency found in pencil beam technology accessible to increasing numbers of patients in a clinical setting. Each patient who receives pencil beam treatment will be part of a growing body of research protocols at MD Anderson, examining proton therapy's benefits over conventional radiation therapy and refining the technology to care for future generations of cancer patients with the best therapies available.

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