Continuing the tradition of groundbreaking proton research, our specialists investigate all aspects of proton therapy to improve our ability to direct radiation at the tumor and spare surrounding healthy tissue to improve cancer cure rates and reduce side effects.
Mass General is the lead institution for the Pediatric Proton Consortium Registry (PPCR). The PPCR was established to expedite proton outcomes research to ensure access to those pediatric patients who can benefit the most from it. It is the most comprehensive multi-institutional radiation-based patient registry in existence and is unique in its scope and depth.
In collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, the National Clinical Trials Network, and cooperative groups like RTOG and NRG Oncology, our researchers have pioneered standards of care in proton therapy planning and delivery, setting the bar on clinical care standards that have been adopted world-wide. We also have a long-standing collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center in a series of randomized trials in select diseases, to further understand both the clinical and physical properties of proton therapy.
The funding that these partnerships provide allow our scientists to design and conduct definitive randomized trials in various disease sites, for example: low grade glioma, hepatocellular carcinoma, esophageal cancer, and oropharyngeal cancer. We have established pivotal trials in national randomized breast and lung cancer that have also led to extensive progress in physics collaborations to further understand the nature of radiation therapy.
Our physics research group has created methods and algorithms that are recognized by vendors and have been incorporated into clinical practice in proton centers across the globe.
Our researchers have been following our patients in the fight against cancer for decades, allowing us to understand the long-term outcomes of diverse clinical trials and treatments. If you are interested in finding out if you can participate, click here for a list of active clinical trials.
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Jason Efstathiou, MD, DPhil, radiation oncologist at Mass General Cancer Center, explains how research into proton beam and other novel therapies are helping to find a cure for prostate cancer.
Mass General has the only proton therapy site in all of New England, with two proton therapy centers.
Patients at Mass General have access to a vast network of physicians, nearly all of whom are Harvard Medical School faculty.
Researchers at MGH have led and continue to lead studies that are defining the best use of proton therapy, which is now being offered at 106 centers worldwide.
Learn how Mass General clinician-researchers are leading efforts to understand which patients can benefit most from proton therapy.
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