Proton Therapy for Returning Head and Neck Cancer

This trial is testing proton therapy—a type of radiation that is more targeted than standard radiation—for patients whose head and neck cancer has returned or developed as a new cancer after initial treatment. The study will measure how well this treatment works, how patients tolerate it, and how it affects quality of life. Results will be compared with patients who received standard radiation therapy in the past.

When head and neck cancer returns after initial treatment, patients face difficult choices because standard radiation therapy can cause serious side effects in areas already treated. This trial exists to see whether proton therapy, which delivers radiation more precisely, might offer better outcomes with fewer side effects for this challenging group of patients.