Proton Beam Therapy For Lung Cancer Uk

So the issue mckenna argues is not whether proton beam therapy is going to be as effective but whether the patient benefit is enough to justify the extra cost.

Proton beam therapy for lung cancer uk.

A small number of people in south wales may have proton beam therapy on the nhs at the rutherford cancer centre. Proton beam therapy uses beams of protons to target cancerous tumours. The proton therapy center ptc located in prague czech republic offers the most advanced and accurate form of radiotherapy currently available proton beam therapy using pencil beam scanning allows for a precise dose to be delivered to highly complicated target volumes while sparing nearby critical organs and healthy tissue. This will help you decide whether to have proton beam therapy or another type of treatment.

At the moment proton beam therapy treatment is much more expensive than x ray therapy. Proton beam therapy is not widely available in the uk. Protons are small particles of an atom and a particle accelerator also called a cyclotron is used to speed up the protons to produce the beam. Proton beam therapy damages cancer cells in a treated area this stops their growth and over time these cells die.

Clinicians biologists physicists accelerator. From the moment you are diagnosed through to treatment and recovery we support you on your cancer journey every step of the way. Researchers have unveiled designs for a facility intended to make cheaper more flexible proton beam therapy for cancer treatment a reality. The first proton beam.

Proton beam therapy is currently only available in the uk to treat eye cancers but patients with other forms of cancer can apply for nhs funding for the therapy abroad. Once lung cancer is diagnosed local techniques are generally used in the very earliest stage of lung cancer treatment. If the lung cancer is operable surgery is the choice for local therapy but combined therapy including surgery and radiation including proton therapy for lung cancer is often recommended for more advanced disease. So you would have to pay for this treatment or use private insurance if you have it.

We are the only uk network of cancer centres to offer proton beam therapy in addition to conventional radiotherapy chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments alongside a range of supportive care services. Proton beam therapy is also available in private treatment centres in the uk.