The proton beam debate: are facilities outstripping the evidence?
نویسنده
چکیده
A recent report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found no evidence to support claims that cancer patients undergoing pricey proton beam radiation therapy (PRT) achieve better outcomes or experience fewer side effects than patients receiving traditional photon radiation. In the report's wake, proton therapy practitioners are pushing for the fi rst trial comparing the two approaches for prostate cancer, which is the fastest growing use of PRT. The hope for PRT is that it will cause less collateral damage to surrounding nerves and tissue than intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), the most advanced form of traditional photon radiation. " It hasn't proven itself to be superior, " said Anthony L. Zietman, M.D., professor of radiation oncology at Harvard Medical School in Boston, whose affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital runs one of seven operating proton beam cancer treatment centers in the U.S. " We've applied for a comparative-effectiveness grant to do a head-to-head trial with IMRT with the same radiation dose, " he said. The primary endpoint is quality of life. Even if funded, it will be years before the results of such a trial are known. With dozens of facilities already built or in development worldwide (see Stat Bite), use of the technology and the controversy surrounding it are bound to grow. In the U.S., where at least three new $100 million-plus proton beam facilities are either under construction or in the planning stage, the costly treatment could dramatically increase Medicare spending on prostate cancer care alone.
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ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Journal of the National Cancer Institute
دوره 102 7 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2010