by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | September 30, 2014
From the September 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
This September, at the 56th annual meeting of The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), at least a dozen companies intend to showcase products and services they’re offering in relation to proton therapy. Among them are Logos Systems International, which has introduced a proton beam inspection system called XRV- 100, Architection; the oncology design and construction company responsible for building the proton beam at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C., the imaging specialists at Anatom-e XRT Information Systems, an outsource manufacturer of proton beam equipment called .decimal, and others.
Waiting on results
At the 2014 NAPT annual conference, Dr. Bhadrasain Vikram, chief of the clinical radiation oncology branch at the National Cancer Institute, said eight randomized trials will soon be getting off the ground comparing the results of proton treatment versus photon treatment. The outcome of those trials, and others like them, will be vital in gauging the significance of proton therapy’s advantages as they pertain to various cancer sites.
The Affordable Care Act has played a role in shifting health care cost emphasis away from services rendered and towards patient outcomes. “[At MD Anderson] we just treated our 5,000th patient. We have generated 100 publications in our first eight years. More than any publications of any other center treating with proton therapy ever,” says Frank. “Our aim is to put out another 100 publications in the next four years.” As more studies are performed, more literature may define the value of proton therapy as it applies to different treatments and success ratios.
ASTRO recently issued a Policy Model for proton therapy which details the cancer diagnoses they believe should be covered by private insurers and Medicare. They emphasize cases where proton therapy has shown proven benefits, like pediatric cancers, as well as certain adult cancers such as ocular melanoma. In the interest of medical research they also encourage coverage for cancer sites where ongoing trials are being performed and benefits are suspected, such as the breast, prostate, and lung.
Reducing fatalities, improving patient post-treatment quality of life, and diminishing the frequency of side effects, are all breakthroughs that would justify the expense of proton therapy, and the continued advancements promoting affordability and accessibility. Defining those benefits is an intrinsic part of the scientific process, and an essential step in the responsible adoption of the treatment. With every completed study and every randomized trial, physicians and patients alike become better equipped to weigh the benefits of proton therapy against the cost.
Click here to check out the DOTmed Virtual Trade Show for proton therapy.
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