There are protons in Europe, too

Speaking of proton beams, while they populate like rabbits in the US based on a financial model that includes overpayment for prostate irradiation, there are real debates going on in Europe about their efficacy.  Here are excerpts from an article from the British Medical Journal:Critics say the NHS should not be spending so much money on a treatment that has not been subjected to randomised controlled trials and for which there is little evidence of long term efficacy or safety. In April, an article in the BMJ questioned whether the government’s £250m investment was premature. “For most indications,” reported a review of the evidence in February, no firm conclusions could be drawn about the superiority of protons over photons and it was “sobering to observe that no phase III trials have been performed.” The debate has been clouded in the UK by a focus on the widespread use of proton therapy in America for the treatment of prostate cancer. This is a red herring, says Adrian Crellin, a consultant clinical oncologist at St James’s University Hospital, Leeds and the Department of Health’s national lead for proton beam therapy: “We have quite specifically excluded prostate cancer as a standard indication for treatment because there’s no evidence.”In fact, the application of proton therapy in the UK is limited to just 15 rare cancers— three adult and 12 paediatric—that have the clearest evidence, including base of skull chordomas and c...
Source: Running a hospital - Category: Health Managers Source Type: blogs