Author:

Abstract:

Radiotherapy has become the standard of care in the curative treatment of locally advanced oesophageal cancer. Advanced radiotherapy techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy, can reduce doses to normal tissues resulting in lower toxicities and improved outcome. The unique physical features of proton beam therapy in oesophageal cancer, there is evidence that supports a clinical benefit. However results from prospective randomised trials are awaited. To maximise the cost-effectiveness of this new technology, patient selection for proton beam therapy using validated multifractorial normal tissue complication probability models is suggested. However, this requires international collaboration to prospectively collect data of patients treated with proton beam therapy.