IBA, partners commence proton therapy clinical trial

Proton therapy developer Ion Beam Applications (IBA) is teaming up with 19 industry and academic partners on ProtectTrial, a large-scale clinical trial in Europe to assess the use of proton therapy in treating esophageal cancer.

Coordinated by Dr. Cai Grau of Aarhus University in Denmark, ProtectTrial will include 12 proton therapy centers -- six of which are IBA centers -- across eight countries. The research project will test the potential benefits of proton therapy in a trimodality strategy of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.

The trial's goal is to produce high-quality data that could contribute toward the formulation of European guidelines for using proton therapy in esophageal cancer, according to IBA. More broadly, the consortium also aims to improve patient selection for proton therapy across cancer indications through evaluation of selection criteria and creation of shared reimbursement guidelines, the company said.

About 400 patients are expected to be included in the randomized trial, which is expected to be completed by 2027, IBA said.