WARRENVILLE, Ill. (January 24, 2013) – Five clinical trials evaluating proton therapy as a treatment for cancer, including one involving children with brain cancer and three trials for men with prostate cancer, are being led by researchers at CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center.

The trials are evaluating the effectiveness of proton therapy, both on its own and in comparison to – plus in combination with – other treatment options.

“We recently returned from a national medical meeting where more than 70 papers and posters were presented assessing the use of proton therapy in treating cancer, and the results continue to be impressive,” said Dr. William Hartsell, the Center's medical director. “Our clinical trials are part of a national effort to assess new and what we anticipate will be better ways to treat patients with proton therapy.”

The pediatric trial is evaluating the simultaneous use of chemotherapy regimens and radiation therapy, which includes proton radiation as an option. The trial (code: NCT00867178) involves infants born with tumors of the central nervous system, such as medulloblastoma, and will assess proton beam as an acceptable form of radiation.

One of the prostate cancer trials (code: NCT01230866) is treating patients using higher doseThe pediatric trial is evaluating the simultaneous use of chemotherapy regimens and radiation therapy, which includes proton radiation as an option. The trial (code: NCT00867178) involves infants born with tumors of the central nervous system, such as medulloblastoma, and will assess proton beam as an acceptable form of radiation.

One of the prostate cancer trials (code: NCT01230866) is treating patients using higher doses of proton therapy treatment over a much shorter time period (five treatments over one to two weeks) than current standards (44 treatments over as many as nine weeks). A second prostate cancer trial looks at the impact of combining hormone (androgen deprivation) therapy with proton therapy (code: NCT01492972).

“We hope to learn more about the effectiveness and potential benefits of treating patients with proton therapy in new ways or combined with other important treatments,” Hartsell said.

Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation treatment for many cancerous and non-cancerous tumors, including tumors of the brain, central nervous system, head and neck, lung and prostate, as well as sarcomas and many pediatric cancers. The precision of proton therapy makes it especially effective for treating children and adults with anatomically complex tumors such as base of skull and tumors along the spinal cord.

To learn more about proton therapy and the CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center, go to http://www.procure.com/il

To learn more about the five clinical trials, go to http://www.clinicaltrials.gov and search for the following identifier codes:

NCT01230866 ("Study of Hypo-fractionated Proton Radiation for Low Risk Prostate Cancer")

NCT01492972 ("Hypo-fractionated Proton Radiation Therapy With or Without Androgen Suppression for Intermediate Risk Prostate Cancer")

NCT00867178 ("Vorinostat, Isotretinoin, and Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Young