Proton Therapy in Children
Proton therapy is a high-precision radiotherapy method that reduces the exposure of healthy tissues surrounding the tumor, thus lowering radiation toxicity compared to conventional radiotherapy. It is therefore perfectly suited for treating children.
About the Project
Brain tumors are the most common solid tumors in children and are widely treated with radiotherapy. This radiotherapy is usually performed with X-rays (photons). However, proton radiotherapy (“proton therapy”) allows for better targeting and is superior in avoiding collateral effects.
Nevertheless, the occurrence of side effects remains inevitable and irreversible, which can sometimes significantly hinder the child’s subsequent development. Reducing side effects is thus a crucial challenge. “Flash” irradiation is a recent method that appears promising in terms of toxicity. It is achieved at dose rates significantly faster (>200 times) than the standard, usually with electrons. “Flash proton therapy” seems to be the ideal combination to minimize adverse effects in pediatric radiotherapy, but it requires rare specific technological equipment.
With the Arronax cyclotron, we have demonstrated the superiority of the Flash method in proton therapy on the growth of zebrafish embryos. This will allow us to develop this approach to validate and determine the biological effects on the brain in young subjects. Researchers will use fluorescence visualization methods of the vascular network and cranial neurons, complemented by a topographic analysis of RNA expression in the brain. These data will help define the optimal safety conditions of Flash proton therapy and understand its biological determinants, paving the way for clinical trials based on robust and translatable evidence in children.
Project Follow-up:
Start Date: 2024
Project Summary
- Sponsor: Institut de Cancérologie de l’Ouest – Unicancer
- Principal Investigator: Dr. Vincent Potiron
- Program Duration: May 2024 – May 2026
- Countries Involved: France
- Funding by Imagine for Margo: €59,500
This trial has been co-financed by the Rallye du Cœur de Nantes 2024.
