Research progress of proton therapy in rhabdomyosarcoma

Abstract

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in childhood. Radiation therapy has been integrated into the primary treatment of most patients with rhabdomyosarcoma, but which in turn potentially induces severe acute and late toxicities. Proton therapy in recent years has been more and more used in the treatment of rhabdomyosarcoma, which is safe and effective, with no serious adverse events. Compared with conventional photon therapy, proton therapy has distinct physical advantages and enables greater precision in the delivery of tumoricidal radiation doses with reduced irradiation of normal tissues, and improves quality of life for patients. Additional follow-up and prospectively studies are needed to determine whether proton therapy truly reduces the incidence and severity of late effects in comparison to patients treated with modern photon techniques. Key words: Rhabdomyosarcoma; Child; Proton therapy