Proton therapy for carcinoma of the nasopharynx: a study in comparative treatment planning.

Radiation therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma is technically difficult because of the complexity of the regional anatomy and the natural history of the disease. The results of a study are presented showing how detailed diagnostic information available from MRI is helpful in defining the target volume to be irradiated and the critical normal structures. By using 3-dimensional planning techniques, an assessment was made of the relative merits of proton beam therapy and of X ray treatment for patients with early stage and locally advanced carcinoma of the nasopharynx. For both types of patient, the study suggests that the use of protons for the major part of treatment results in a more even distribution of dose to the tumor and an increase of approximately 5 Gy in median tumor dose with substantial reductions in doses to adjacent normal tissues. The superior dose distributions possible with protons should translate into improved local control and reduced morbidity. The difficulties of proton treatment planning for this site are addressed.