Toxicities, or side effects, are measured on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe. No patient observed in the study experienced grade 3 or 4 long-term acute liver or kidney toxicity, with the majority of patients experiencing grade 1 side effects from PRT. "We've showed PRT is not only effective in the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma, but it also spared damage to the developing liver, kidneys and bowel that may occur in pediatric patients exposed to traditional radiation," said Hill-Kayser. "While we look forward to longer-range data on these patients 10 years down the road, the excellent outcomes we see here, coupled with the fact the precision proton approach did not increase recurrence rates, support the expanded use of proton therapy in neuroblastoma and other high-risk childhood cancers." Additional studies with extended follow-up and larger patient numbers are planned. The Cancer Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia offers one of the most established and experienced pediatric proton radiation therapy programs, in collaboration with Penn Medicine at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center.

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This research was supported by institutional funds, without additional grant support.

Christine E. Hill-Kayser, MD et al, "Outcomes After Proton Therapy for Treatment of Pediatric High-Risk Neuroblastoma," International Journal of Radiation Oncology, online 2019.

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