Healthcare (Commonwealth Union) – The ability to reach tumors with safe treatments in difficult to reach places has always been a significant step in medicine.
June this year marks a significant move forward in medical therapy as a 7-year-old boy who had a rare, malignant brain tumor removed became the first person treated at Stanford Medicine’s new, ultracompact proton therapy facility which commenced on the 4th of June and was completed on June 11th.
The milestone arrived near the end of patient Stephen De La Torre’s planned radiotherapy treatments; his doctors expect to send him home next week to resume life as a normal, active kid. But Stephen’s treatment is just the start of making a highly effective cancer therapy much more accessible to patients in Northern California and, eventually, around the world.
Susan Hiniker, MD, Stephen’s pediatric radiation oncologist at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health indicated that their new ability to offer protons is really exciting, especially for pediatric patients, because in many cases it lowers their risk of long-term treatment side effects.
The Sridhar B. Seshadri Proton Therapy Suite, the first of its kind in the world, is unique because its small, less costly equipment fits in a compact space.
Until recently, most patients in Northern California who required proton therapy had to travel hundreds of miles to access treatment. Hospitals have found it difficult to establish conventional proton therapy centres because the technology is extremely costly and requires a vast space roughly equivalent to a football field.
The newly developed system stems from a partnership between Stanford Medicine and two medical technology firms. If adopted more widely, this streamlined design could significantly reduce the barriers to proton therapy access, both regionally and worldwide.
The benefits extend across all age groups. On June 4, the Stanford Medicine team also administered proton therapy to its first adult patient. The treatment can be applied to a broad range of cancers, including those affecting the head and neck, spine, lungs, liver, and prostate.
Bill Loo, MD, PhD, a professor of radiation oncology who has spearheaded Stanford Medicine’s efforts to establish proton therapy services indicated that the key is being able to eliminate cancer without causing unacceptable collateral damage.
He further pointed out that with the application of protons, they are able to deposit the dose of radiation in a more controlled manner.
Proton therapy is particularly valuable for young patients like Stephen. According to Hiniker, an associate professor of radiation oncology at Stanford Medicine, children’s developing bodies are far more vulnerable to even low levels of radiation and the ability to target radiation precisely and spare nearby healthy tissue is highly advantageous.
After several months of unexplained symptoms, Stephen was diagnosed earlier this year with an extremely rare brain tumour called a papillary tumour of the pineal region.
Roughly the size of an AA battery, the growth was obstructing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in his brain. This blockage led to swelling and symptoms including headaches, vision issues, nausea, and fatigue. On March 9, Stephen underwent surgery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford to remove the tumour.
“Our surgeons told us that his tumor was located really close to the brain stem, so they removed what they could safely,” added Stephen’s mom, Tricia De La Torre. “He needed radiation to eliminate the rest.”
When Hiniker first spoke with Stephen’s parents, Tricia and Stephen De La Torre Sr., she explained that although their son’s case was unusual and complicated, proton therapy could still offer meaningful advantages. She noted that the tumor, while cancerous, was slow-growing, and the aim of radiation would be to clear any remaining disease. Just as important, she said, was reducing radiation exposure to the surrounding developing brain and brainstem, which regulates essential functions like breathing and heartbeat.
Protons are positively charged particles found in the nucleus of an atom. Their physical properties allow them to be controlled more precisely than X-rays, enabling radiation oncologists to shape and target the dose so it closely matches the contours of a tumor while sparing nearby healthy tissue.
