Proton Therapy News and Research

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Some insurers refusing to pay for proton-beam cancer therapy

Blue Shield of California joins two other insurers who contend that other cancer treatments are just as good, and far less expensive.

30 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 29, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about ongoing fiscal fights surrounding efforts to raise the nation's debt limit and to defund the health law. Also, the White House enlists former President Bill Clinton to help spread the word about the overhaul.

29 Aug 2013

Proton therapy provides organ-sparing treatment option for children with neuroblastoma

Proton therapy, using high-energy subatomic particles, may offer a precise, organ-sparing treatment option for children with high-risk forms of neuroblastoma. For patients in a new study of advanced radiation treatment, proton therapy spared the liver and kidneys from unwanted radiation, while zeroing in on its target.

14 Aug 2013

State highlights: Ala. abortion law challenged in court; NYC officials try again on soda restrictions

As the protests have grown, so has the list of causes. At the center is a package of changes to voting rules and a tax reform plan working its way through the legislature that would reduce individual and corporate income taxes and expand the sales tax. Protesters have also rallied against the expansion of school vouchers, cuts to unemployment benefits, the repeal of the Racial Justice Act, efforts to allow hydraulic fracturing and the state's refusal to expand Medicaid benefits as part of President Obama's health care plan (Severson, 6/11).

13 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 12, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how the health law's implementation played in a recent town hall meeting as well as the action taken by one business in anticipation of its some of the requirements that will take effect in 2014.

12 Jun 2013

Researchers to receive ASTRO Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to the field of radiation oncology

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) will award Amato J. Giaccia, PhD, Radhe Mohan, PhD, FASTRO, and Prabhakar Tripuraneni, MD, FASTRO, with the Society's highest honor—the ASTRO Gold Medal. The 2013 awardees will receive the ASTRO Gold Medal during the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, September 24, at ASTRO's 55th Annual Meeting, September 22-25, 2013, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

5 Jun 2013

State highlights: Calif. bill would fine big employers with employees on Medi-Cal; Abortion fight set in N.Y. Senate

For years, politicians and labor unions have pilloried Wal-Mart and other large employers for paying workers so little that many qualify for government health insurance at taxpayers' expense. Now critics fear the public will get stuck with an even bigger tab as California and other states expand Medicaid as part of the federal health care law.

4 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 3, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from major news organizations, including a number of stories detail health law implementation developments.

3 Jun 2013

Health care questions: Do medical homes improve outcomes? Is high tech worth the cost?

Joseph Ashwal, MD, knew a good deal when he saw one. … The program -- the Total Care and Cost Improvement Program -- has been a game-changer for Ashwal and his practice, Frederick Primary Care Associates, yielding more than a 20 percent increase in payments from CareFirst last summer for the group's success during 2011 in lowering spending by keeping patients out of the hospital and emergency departments.

1 Jun 2013

First Edition: May 31, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports from the administration about the number of insurers that will be offering policies on the new online marketplaces.

31 May 2013

High-energy proton beam therapy offers potential treatment option for eye cancer

Particle beams - from low energy beams with exotic ions through to extremely high energy light sources - are revolutionising the way we view the world and creating potential for new industries, but the instrumentation for controlling the beams is still in its infancy.

26 Apr 2013

Highlights: Local Kan. program seeks to prevent readmissions with food deliveries; Conn. officials want stricter limit on insurer markup

A selection of health policy stories from Kansas, Connecticut, Oregon, the District of Columbia, Texas, Florida, Minnesota and California.

20 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 19, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about a new plan by the Bipartisan Policy Center to reduce health spending released.

19 Apr 2013

SCCA, ProCure announce opening of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. (ProCure) announced the opening of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy, A ProCure Center today in Seattle, Washington.

8 Mar 2013

New study compares costs and outcomes associated with prostate cancer treatments

The most comprehensive retrospective study ever conducted comparing how the major types of prostate cancer treatments stack up to each other in terms of saving lives and cost effectiveness is reported this week by a team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.

7 Jan 2013

Concord Medical acquires 19.98% of indirect ownership of MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center

Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited, a leading specialty hospital management solution provider and operator of the largest network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers in China, announced today that it has closed the acquisition of 19.98% of indirect ownership of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Proton Therapy Center (MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center).

4 Jan 2013

Vero system can treat patients with recent diagnoses of metastatic cancer

University of Florida radiation oncologists are using a sophisticated medical device to treat patients who have recent diagnoses of metastatic cancer, where the disease has started to spread from one part of the body to another.

18 Dec 2012

New finding likely to fuel cost-benefit debate over cancer care

A study published Thursday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded that proton-beam therapy provided no long-term benefit over traditional radiation despite far higher costs.

15 Dec 2012

Prostate cancer patients experience minimal relief from side effects following proton radiotherapy

Prostate cancer patients receiving the costly treatment known as proton radiotherapy experienced minimal relief from side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction, compared to patients undergoing a standard radiation treatment called intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

14 Dec 2012

Concord Medical to acquire 19.98% ownership of MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center

Concord Medical Services Holdings Limited, a leading specialty hospital management solution provider and operator of the largest network of radiotherapy and diagnostic imaging centers in China, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which it will acquire 19.98% of indirect ownership of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Proton Therapy Center (MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center), achieved through acquiring a minority interest in the general partner and facility manager.

13 Dec 2012