Purpose
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of radiotherapy using proton beam (PRT) for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
Methods and Materials
Sixty consecutive patients who underwent PRT between May 1999 and July 2007 were analyzed. There were 42 males and 18 females, with a median age of 70 years (48–92 years). All but 1 patient had a single lesion with a median diameter of 45 mm (20–100 mm). Total PRT dose/fractionation was 76–cobalt Gray equivalent (CGE)/20 fractions in 46 patients, 65 CGE/26 fractions in 11 patients, and 60 CGE/10 fractions in 3 patients. The risk of developing proton-induced hepatic insufficiency (PHI) was estimated using dose-volume histograms and an indocyanine-green retention rate at 15 minutes (ICG R15).
Results
None of the 20 patients with ICG R15 of less than 20 % developed PHI, whereas 6 of 8 patients with ICG R15 values of 50 % or higher developed PHI. Among 32 patients whose ICG R15 ranged from 20 % to 49.9 % , PHI was observed only in patients who had received 30 CGE (V30) to more than 25 % of the noncancerous parts of the liver (n = 5) Local progression-free and overall survival rates at 3 years were 90 % (95 % confidence interval [CI], 80–99 % ) and 56 % (95 % CI, 43–69 % ), respectively. A gastrointestinal toxicity of Grade ≥2 was observed in 3 patients.
Conclusions
ICG R15 and V30 are recommended as useful predictors for the risk of developing PHI, which should be incorporated into multidisciplinary treatment plans for patients with this disease.
