Inspire Hope

Richards' treatment for cancer was experimental type

Web Posted: 09/17/2006 12:12 AM CDT

Todd Ackerman, Houston Chronicle

Ann Richards in her final months became one of the first Texans to try a highly touted new cancer treatment.

Richards, who died Wednesday night of esophageal cancer, underwent a regime that combined chemotherapy with proton therapy, a more precise form of radiation that leaves the surrounding tissue unscathed. It has been used on about 15,000 Americans, few suffering from esophageal cancer.

"With time, protons will be used more and more with esophageal cancer that hasn't spread, but for right now, it's pretty uncommon," said Dr. Jay Loeffler, chairman of radiation oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. "It's such a difficult disease to treat."

Richards was treated at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, which opened a $125 million proton center in May. It's one of five in the country, three of them new.

Neither M.D. Anderson officials nor a spokesman for Richards would elaborate on the treatment the former governor received. On Wednesday, the spokesman said Richards initially underwent chemotherapy, then entered the experimental chemotherapy-and-proton regime.

Loeffler, whose department includes one of the other proton centers, said that schedule suggests Richards' cancer was treatable, even though esophageal cancer is so lethal.

Ranking as the seventh-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, esophageal cancer kills 90 percent of those diagnosed within five years. It is considered the fastest-rising major cancer in the United States.

Loeffler said proton therapy is not commonly used in esophageal cancer because facilities offering it are so limited and because its greatest advantage involves patients whose cancers are inoperable and haven't spread, a fairly unusual combination.

It was unclear if Richards fit that classification.

Proton therapy sends particles much heavier than X-rays that travel in a straight path without being deflected. Unlike X-rays, the particles don't lose their velocity when they reach their target — dense tissue.

Advocates say proton therapy is most effective when directed at single well-defined tumors, especially ones close to sensitive nerves and organs, such as the lungs, prostate and eye.

Dr. Martha Mims, a Baylor College of Medicine oncologist, said part of the problem is that esophageal cancer is typically not caught until it's fairly advanced. There are no adjacent organs for the tumor to press against, so sufferers often don't know they have it until it is big enough to cause difficulty swallowing.

Mims praised Richards for trying proton therapy.

"It says a lot about Richards that she participated in a clinical trial," Mims said. "People who participate in trials do so more for the patients down the line than out of hope the therapy will save them."