[Comment] Is proton therapy a new standard of care for oropharyngeal cancer?

00:00 - 10 Jan 2026

The study by Steven J Frank and colleagues1 in The Lancet is the first randomised, phase 3 trial comparing intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with oropharyngeal cancer. Support for the role of proton radiotherapy for head and neck cancer has previously come from dosimetric studies,2 as well as retrospective and case–control clinical reports.3–5 A study with early experience from the MD Anderson Cancer Center compared 50 patients treated with IMPT with 100 patients treated with IMRT, finding a significant reduction in acute gastrostomy tube use and severe weight loss with IMPT, but no difference in tumour control.