Combination Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy and Passive Scatter Boost for Rapidly Progressing Nasal Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Cancers of the nasal cavity and septum are associated with poor prognosis and are usually treated with surgery followed by post-operative radiotherapy with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Definitive radiotherapy is used in cases where the tumor is unresectable, patient is unfit for surgery, and/or the patient declines surgical intervention. Here, we present a case of a patient, who for non-medical reasons, opted to have non-surgical management of his rapidly progressing nasal cavity tumor. He was successfully treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy utilizing a combination of intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) with passive scatter boost to reduce dose to the adjacent critical neural structures. Post-treatment clinical examination and imaging demonstrated complete clinical and metabolic response at the primary site and neck. This case highlights the use of IMPT and passive scatter boost in combination to achieve delivery of therapeutic dose to nasal cavity tumor and neck whilst limiting dose to numerous adjacent organs-at-risk.