The Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB), Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), National Cancer Institute (NCI) carries out studies to quantify second cancer risks associated with ionizing radiation exposures in pediatric cancer patients.  REB has a specific interest in the risk of second tumors following proton therapy in children, because concerns have been raised about whole-body scatter doses from neutrons, brain necrosis and other late effects including second tumors.

Pediatric radiation oncology is undergoing rapid changes due to the widespread introduction of proton therapy.  By reducing high-dose exposure to nearby normal tissue, protons should reduce a wide-range of serious adverse-effects, such as second cancers.  To date, few studies have directly evaluated the potential benefits or risks of protons for children, and some case series have raised concerns about serious unanticipated side-effects, such as brain necrosis.  There is widespread agreement amongst the clinical and scientific community that large-scale collaborative efforts are urgently required to address these questions.  Therefore, the NCI established the US Pediatric Proton and Photon Therapy Cohort, a retrospective cohort study with prospective follow-up including pediatric cancer patients treated with proton therapy and a comparison group of similar patients treated with photon therapy. This new cohort will build upon a foundation created by the US Pediatric Proton Consortium Registry (PPCR), which currently includes 20 US proton therapy centers and has recruited >3,000 pediatric proton patients who have actively enrolled in the registry since 2012.

The goal of this acquisition is to obtain data on a group of proton-treated pediatric cancer patients and a group of photon-treated pediatric cancer patients to serve as a comparison group. The contractor shall retrieve data from existing medical records for pediatric cancer patients treated at their institution with proton or photon therapy.  De-identified clinical and treatment data obtained from this procurement will be used to evaluate the risks and benefits of proton therapy versus photon therapy for children with cancer. 

See Solicitation attached for complete details.