Protonterapia para tumores cerebrales y de cabeza y cuello
High-precision treatment for structures that are difficult to access surgically and are located close to sensitive organs
Brain and head and neck tumours present one of the greatest technical challenges in external beam radiotherapy: their proximity to sensitive structures such as the brain, the optic nerves, the spinal cord and the salivary glands requires the dose to healthy tissue to be minimised as much as possible. Proton therapy, due to its ability to concentrate the dose on the tumour and stop there, is a particularly suitable alternative for both malignant and benign tumours that compromise the patient’s quality of life.
Tumours develop at the base of the skull and in the neck; most are rare, but despite being benign, they can seriously affect quality of life and even compromise survival. Proton therapy offers greater safety compared to conventional radiotherapy in these cases, by reducing exposure to adjacent critical structures. The Cancer Center Clinica Universidad de Navarra, with facilities in Madrid, combines proton therapy with surgery and chemotherapy within the same centre.
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What are the causes?
The main risk factors include high alcohol and tobacco consumption, the combination of which increases the risk multiplicatively.
There are also precancerous lesions, such as caustic oesophagitis, Barrett's oesophagus, achalasia or Plummer-Vinson syndrome.
Barrett's oesophagus, associated with gastro-oesophageal reflux and chronic hiatus hernia, is the most important predisposing factor.
Other risk factors include a diet poor in fruit and vegetables, consumption of very hot foods, and foods containing nitrosamines (present in products such as beer, fish and processed meats).
Why at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra
Most brain and head and neck tumours require a combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The Cancer Centre at the Clinica Universidad de Navarra offers access to all these treatments under one roof, with teams specialising in tumours that are difficult to access surgically.
Reference Center
The Clínica Universidad de Navarra is an international reference center in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, offering patients and their families access to an interdisciplinary approach to esophageal cancer.
A unique concept
First facility in Spain integrated in an Intrahospital Cancer Center, with all its assistance, academic and research support.
Advanced technology
As a highly complex center, we have the most advanced technology for the most accurate diagnosis in the shortest time possible.
The most precise radiation therapy for cancer
The Proton Therapy Unit’s technology allows the beam energy to be adjusted layer by layer, enabling the tumour to be targeted with maximum precision and the exact position of the tumour to be verified daily before each session — a particularly important consideration for brain and head and neck tumours, where the proximity of the optic nerves, brainstem and spinal cord demands millimetre-level precision.
Radiation Oncology
