The UPPROACH (Upfront Intensity Modulated Proton Beam Therapy) Approach

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

While there is a consensus that both adjuvant ChT and RT benefit patients with respect to locoregional and distant control, the sequencing of these therapies varies between institutions. Common approaches include sequential treatment, with 4-6 cycles of ChT followed by RT, sandwich therapy with RT s...

While there is a consensus that both adjuvant ChT and RT benefit patients with respect to locoregional and distant control, the sequencing of these therapies varies between institutions. Common approaches include sequential treatment, with 4-6 cycles of ChT followed by RT, sandwich therapy with RT sandwiched between 3 cycles of ChT, or concurrent CRT. Small retrospective studies have shown a benefit with respect to PFS and OS in the sandwich approach, however this has not been replicated in larger studies. In more recent years, proton beam therapy (PBT) has become an increasingly common modality for the treatment of uterine malignancies and is capable of even more precise dose distributions than photon-based RT due to intrinsic properties of these much heavier particles. Dosimetric/planning studies from other institutions confirm the significant reduction of dose to critical normal tissues like bladder, bowel, rectum, and bone marrow. Preliminary data from the University of Maryland Medical Center has suggested that IMPT using pencil beam scanning is feasible in patients with endometrial cancer, with only 10% of patients developing grade 2 GI toxicity and no patients developing ? grade 3 GI or GU toxicities (abstract under review). The investigators would like to test the hypothesis that in the postoperative setting, patients with advanced endometrial cancer will be able to complete a course of full dose ChT - carboplatin and paclitaxel - concurrent with upfront pelvic IMPT.

Tracking Information