Is proton beam therapy always better than photon irradiation? Lessons from two cases.

Proton beam therapy (PBT) is increasingly used to treat cancers, especially in the paediatric and adolescent and young adult (AYA) population. As PBT becomes more accessible, determining when PBT should be used instead of photon irradiation can be difficult. There is a need to balance patient, tumour and treatment factors when making this decision.

Developing a comparative photon-proton planning service in Victoria: the experience at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Proton-beam therapy (PBT) is a cutting-edge radiation therapy modality that is currently not available in Australia. Comparative photon-proton (CPP) planning is required for the medical treatment overseas programme (MTOP) and will be required for access to PBT in Australia in the future. Comparative planning brings professional development benefits to all members of the radiation therapy team.