Treating Head and Neck Cancer with Proton Therapy

Proton Therapy for Head and Neck Cancers

More than 66,000 Americans are diagnosed annually with head and neck cancer and 563,000 worldwide. When treating head and neck tumors, it’s critical to protect the delicate organs that surround the tumor. Proton therapy provides greater precision than X-rays and results in less damage to the surrounding healthy tissue, making it a particularly good for treatment for head and neck tumors.^1-10

As part of an innovative cancer care network, the team at Northwestern Medicine Proton Center can help you understand your treatment options and the advantages of proton therapy for your diagnosis.

Proton therapy may be appropriate for the following head and neck tumors:^7,8,12

• Nasopharynx (back of the nose where it meets the throat)
• Nasal (nose) cavity
• Paranasal sinuses (sinuses in the face)
• Oropharynx (area of the throat at the back of the mouth), including the tonsils and base of tongue

The Northwestern Medicine Proton Center is one of the few proton therapy centers throughout the Midwest and the first one in Illinois. Our team is dedicated to explaining all of your treatment options for head and neck cancers and facilitating a conversation with you and your physician or oncologist to determine the best course of treatment for you.

To learn if you can benefit from proton therapy, call 1.877.887.5807 or fill out our online form.

Due to their location, head and neck cancers in particular may benefit from new technology including pencil beam scanning on the gantry and the vertical CT scanner.

Pencil beam scanning uses protons like paint on the tip of a brush. The radiation is dotted onto the target areas, allowing proton therapy to treat tumors of a broad range of shapes, sizes and locations. Pencil beam scanning on the 360-degree gantry allows treatment to be delivered from a range of positions and angles, enabling the care team to treat more complex cases.

The vertical CT scanner is an upright scanning system that allows the care team to take planning images while the patient is in a seated position. This capability allows clinicians to target head and neck tumors more accurately with proton therapy and minimize radiation to healthy tissue and adjacent organs. In addition to more precise treatment, the seated position is intended to provide greater comfort for the patient and decrease tumor motion.

Proton therapy is considered safe, non-invasive and painless. Depending on the patient's diagnosis, treatments are usually given five days a week. The typical course of treatment for head and neck cancers is 30-35 treatments over the course of six to seven weeks. .

Patients continue with normal activities before and after treatment. Some patients choose to work; others go on a “radiation vacation” and spend their days doing recreational activities before or after treatment.

Contact Us

To discover if you or a loved one could benefit from proton therapy, please call us at 877.887.5807 (TTY 711).