Personalizing proton versus conventional (photon) radiation using each patient's clinical and biological information
Official title: Integrating patient-specific clinical and biological factors towards individualizing utilization of proton and photon radiation therapy.
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11184353 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will use patients' clinical details and biological markers to choose whether proton or standard X‑ray (photon) radiation is likely to work best with fewer side effects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 21, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,749,617 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA261669-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11184353 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients being considered for curative or definitive radiation—especially those with esophageal, liver, or brain tumors—who can receive proton or photon therapy at participating centers.
✕Less likely to help
People whose cancers are not treated with radiation or who cannot access participating centers or provide necessary clinical/biological data may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
Researchers are combining clinical records, biological markers, imaging, and advanced dose models to predict how an individual patient's tumor and normal tissues respond to proton versus photon radiation. They will build personalized models that incorporate variable biological effectiveness and treatment uncertainties and refine those models using data from randomized trials and clinical experience. The team aims to develop treatment planning tools and decision rules to match each patient to the radiation type that minimizes normal tissue damage while effectively treating the tumor. The work is a collaboration led by Massachusetts General Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center and links to ongoing esophagus, liver, and brain radiation trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could lower radiation side effects and improve cancer control by matching the radiation type to each patient's biology.
How similar studies have gone: Randomized trials and modeling studies have shown proton therapy can reduce dose to normal tissues for some tumors, but the patient-specific biological advantages remain incompletely defined.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Paganetti, Harald — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Paganetti, Harald
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.