2019 Volume 56 Issue 2 Pages 141-147
Multimodality treatment is crucial for pediatric cancers. Improvement in therapies leads to increased cure rates among patients, while it is also of immediate importance to reduce complications in survivors. Radiation therapies present risks of several complications. In 2016, proton beam therapy was approved for insurance coverage in Japan. Recent research has revealed that particle therapy can significantly reduce the unnecessary irradiation of surrounding tissues such as the intestines or ovaries. However, it is preferable to perform X-ray irradiation over a broad area such as the entire abdomen in cases of fast-expanding tumors, which do not afford enough time to plan for proton beam therapy, or in cases of palliative care. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is preferable in cases with more than two irradiation target areas or in cases requiring a decreased dose in the central area. Discussions with radiologists and pediatricians are needed to determine the timing or other aspects of radiation therapies. This article is an overview of radiation therapies for pediatric tumors.
