Patients with oropharyngeal cancer who were treated with proton therapy experienced a 91% five-year overall survival rate, compared to 81% for those who received photon therapy, according to a study published Dec. 11 in the Lancet.
Eighteen health systems participated in the study, which was led by Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, according to a Dec. 11 Mayo Clinic news release. The study involved 440 patients who were treated between October 2013 and May 2022.
Researchers found proton therapy was also associated with fewer side effects, reducing the risk of severe swallowing problems by 13% and the need for feeding tubes by more than 13%.
Proton therapy also weakened the immune system 15% less than photon therapy.
Read the full study here.
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