Through extensive research in medical journals, publications, and case studies, I have found that proton therapy is more beneficial than photon therapy. Proton beam therapy is a highly conformal branch of radiation therapy that currently represents an important therapeutic component in multidisciplinary management of pediatric oncology. The meticulous adjustability of protons result in a reduction of radiation-related long term side effects and secondary malignancies. Proton beam therapy is one of the most attractive tools in delivery of local therapy with minimal dose distribution to the uninvolved tissue and with reduced integral dose. This is especially important in pediatric cases due to the stage of growth and development that the patients are currently in. A prime example of structures needing to have maximum dose sparing is the temporal lobes. The temporal lobes have a critical role in the cognitive development of pediatric patients, such as processing auditory information and the encoding of memory. As a result of the dose sparing qualities of protons, protons therapy now plays a dominant role in the treatment of pediatric CNS tumors, such as intracranial germ cell tumors. 

Shelby would like to thank Kathy Kienstra and Sherry Bicklein for their help and support in putting this project together.