New Proton Arc Therapy Piloted for Cancer Treatment at Royal Oak Hospital

A new method of delivering radiation treatment for hard-to-treat cancer with minimal side effects is being piloted at a Royal Oak hospital.

The new treatment, step-and-shoot proton arc therapy, is the first of its type to be used by physicians and scientists to treat a patient at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak.

According to a News-Medical.net report, this innovative step-and-shoot therapy uses a proton beam to distribute precise doses of radiation to a tumorous area using a more continuous, automated form of radiation delivery with reduced lag time between dosages. 

Since this new therapy technology enables physicians to pinpoint the tumor more precisely, the patient results so far indicate that the therapy mitigates effects to surrounding healthy tissue and organs and decreases side effects.

Tiffiney Beard, 46, of Redford was diagnosed in early 2024 with adenoid cystic carcinoma. This rare, highly invasive, and often difficult-to-treat tumor was located in her salivary gland. She participated in this cutting-edge proton arc therapy treatment.

Dr. Rohan Deraniyagala, a radiation oncologist at Corewell Health, told News-Medical.net that Beard's tumor is particularly difficult to treat since it targets nerves in the body. Fighting the tumor typically comes with many side effects such as fatigue, jaw pain, difficulty eating or swallowing, loss of taste, headaches, and memory issues. In Beard's case, the tumor had made its way into the nerves leading to her brain.

"After having the tumor removed, which was about the size of a gumball, I had 33 proton therapy treatments in total and, amazingly, had no side effects and didn't miss a day of work," Beard said. "You hear a lot of stories about radiation side effects, and I just wasn't having any."

Beard completed her treatment in early August of 2024. As of her last checkup, she is still showing no signs of cancer.

"Proton beam therapies continue to evolve rapidly and while, in this case, step-and-shoot proton arc therapy has proven to be highly effective so far for Tiffiney, it is just the latest step toward even better treatments down the road," Deraniyagala said.