NHS cancer patients may soon have access to proton beam therapy, after the Health Minister Ann Keen announced on 18th August 2009 that hospitals are being invited to bid to provide such services.
Proton beam therapy is a form of radiotherapy, which attacks the tumour with ionising protons damaging cell DNA, without damaging vital organs. The Department of Health has claimed that proton therapy treatment can be more effective than radiotherapy on cancers in specific areas, such as the neck, retina, base of the skull and near the spine. It is also said to be more beneficial in children, as it precisely targets the tumour, allowing for better distribution of the dose and thus providing less risk of damage to the surrounding cells.
The Department of Health has asked the National Specialised Commissioning Team (NSCT) to identify possible providers of proton beam services in England.
Further reading - A detailed review of the UK medical device market, including some background information on cancer treatments, is available from Espicom: The Medical Device Market: United Kingdom (published June 2009)
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Ya It has been suggested that it is a viable choice among prostate cancer patients with diminutive chances of any side effects to the urinary and rectal functioning. This therapy is becoming very popular. For more details on Proton Beam Therapy, refer Proton beam therapy for prostate cancer
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