Proton Therapy News and Research

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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

Viewpoints: Romney, Obama offer their 'visions for America;' One liberal wary of Mass. effort on assisted suicide

Change is an America where we reduce our deficit by cutting spending where we can, and asking the wealthiest Americans to go back to the income tax rates they paid when Bill Clinton was president. I've worked with Republicans to cut a trillion dollars of spending, and I'll do more. I'll work with anyone of any party to move this country forward. But I won't agree to eliminate health insurance for millions of poor, elderly, or disabled on Medicaid, or turn Medicare into a voucher just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut.

3 Nov 2012

Proton therapy preserves urinary and bowel function in men with prostate cancer

Two studies led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have found that proton therapy preserves the quality of life, specifically urinary and bowel function, in men treated with this targeted radiation modality for prostate cancer.

30 Oct 2012

New prostate cancer therapy triggers questions about cost, effectiveness and safety

Because proton therapy can be targeted much more precisely, it should minimize any damage to sensitive nerves and tissue around the prostate.

29 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 29, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about how the presidential election's outcome could impact the insurance industry as well as the fate of people who are sick or uninsured.

29 Oct 2012

New radiation therapy can reduce risk of neurocognitive adverse effects in children

Children who undergo brain radiation therapy run a significant risk of suffering from permanent neurocognitive adverse effects. These adverse effects are due to the fact that the radiation often encounters healthy tissue. This reduces the formation of new cells, particularly in the hippocampus - the part of the brain involved in memory and learning.

16 Oct 2012

New radiation treatment techniques can reduce risk of neurocognitive adverse effects in children

15 Oct 2012

Mayo Clinic receives approval for construction of new building on Phoenix campus

Mayo Clinic has been granted approval for construction of a 217,200 square-foot building on its Phoenix campus, a major expansion that will create a single-site, integrated Cancer Center. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center with a multi-site, national presence, which allows us to serve a broad and diverse group of patients.

21 Aug 2012

Wellcome Trust grants £1.6 million Translation Award for development of more effective radiotherapy

The Wellcome Trust has awarded a £1.6 million Translation Award to a research team led by the University of Lincoln to develop more effective radiotherapy treatment for thousands of cancer sufferers by providing unique monitoring and imaging for patients receiving proton therapy.

6 Aug 2012

UTSMC could play key role in operating a proton therapy center for North Texas

UT Southwestern Medical Center, seeking to broaden an already robust array of radiation oncology treatments it offers to patients, potentially could play a key role in operating a state-of-the-art proton therapy center for North Texas being planned and funded by San Diego-based Advanced Particle Therapy (APT).

10 Jul 2012

LLUMC suggests check list with six key attributes for successful proton therapy treatment

When a newly diagnosed cancer patient is considering treatment options, proton therapy might not be the first course that comes to mind. Yet over the past two decades proton therapy has continued to evolve as a viable alternative to chemotherapy and a less-invasive procedure than radiation or surgery, so much so that proton therapy is now considered the preferred course of treatment for many doctors and patients in the fight against cancer.

26 Jun 2012