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Varian Medical Systems' updated ProBeam proton therapy system gets FDA clearance

Varian Medical Systems has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its updated ProBeam proton therapy system.

15 Jan 2014

RaySearch receives 2 orders for RayStation treatment planning system from proton treatment centers

RaySearch Laboratories AB has received two orders for its RayStation® treatment planning system from the proton treatment centers Seattle ProCure Management LLC in Seattle, Washington, and Princeton ProCure Management LLC in Princeton, New Jersey. The two centers will use RayStation® for treatment planning of proton radiation therapy.

23 Dec 2013

Elekta to launch MOSAIQ oncology information system throughout McLaren's cancer network

The ability to effectively manage data across disparate health systems to help drive quality care will be a cornerstone for health systems of the future. Elekta is proud to announce today that it has joined forces with Michigan-based McLaren Health Care to launch MOSAIQ oncology information system throughout McLaren's cancer network.

From Elekta 18 Dec 2013

Elekta and McLaren Health Care to launch MOSAIQ oncology information system

The ability to effectively manage data across disparate health systems to help drive quality care will be a cornerstone for health systems of the future. Elekta is proud to announce today that it has joined forces with Michigan-based McLaren Health Care to launch MOSAIQ® oncology information system throughout McLaren's cancer network.

From Elekta 18 Dec 2013

Sumitomo receives FDA 510(k) clearance for Proton Therapy System

Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it had received US FDA 510(k) clearance of its Proton Therapy System. It is the first 510(k) cleared medical device for Sumitomo. Proton therapy is a form of radiation therapy, which employs proton beams to kill cancer cells with better dose distribution in comparison with conventional x-rays. Currently 12 facilities are operational and several more are under construction in the United States, and the U.S. proton therapy market is expected to expand in the future.

29 Nov 2013

Mitsubishi Electric to provide proton beam therapy system to Hakuhokai Group healthcare organization

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced today that it will provide its innovative proton beam therapy system for cancer treatment to the Hakuhokai Group healthcare organization led by Chairman Motohisa Kojo in Osaka, Japan. The system will be installed at the Hakuhokai Group Osaka Proton Therapy Clinic scheduled to open in April 2016.

9 Oct 2013

Use of feeding tubes in OPC cancer patients treated with IMPT decreased by 50%

A new study from researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Proton Therapy Center found that the use of feeding tubes in oropharyngeal carcinoma cancer patients treated with intensity modulated proton therapy decreased by more than 50 percent compared to patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy.

26 Sep 2013

Proton therapy reduces treatment side effects among head and neck cancer patients

The precise targeting and limited dosing of radiation via proton therapy is proving to be an advantage in ongoing efforts to reduce treatment side effects among head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study of pediatric patients from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

25 Sep 2013

Proton radiotherapy proves to be cost-effective in treating pediatric brain tumors

Proton therapy, an external beam radiotherapy in which protons deliver precise radiation doses to a tumor and spare healthy organs and tissues, is cost-effective in treating medulloblastomas, fast-growing brain tumors that mainly affect children, when compared to standard photon radiation therapy, according to research presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) 55th Annual Meeting.

24 Sep 2013

UH Seidman Cancer Center to become one of elite group of cancer centers to offer proton therapy

University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center is breaking ground today on a $30 million proton therapy center, becoming one of an elite group of cancer centers in the country to offer this revolutionary technology. There are currently only 11 operational proton therapy centers in the nation and the UH Seidman Cancer Center site will be the first in Ohio.

20 Sep 2013

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