by
Loren Bonner, DOTmed News Online Editor | November 07, 2012
Patients at ProCure completed EPIC surveys and results were similar to the other studies with prostate cancer patients treated with proton beam therapy in that they showed positive quality of life scores and reduced side effects for patients. Men reported urinary and bowel quality of life satisfaction scores identical to those recorded before their treatment.
"The fact that we are a community-based proton center is unique to the growing body of evidence," Keole told DOTmed News.
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A complement to all the studies was a three-year analysis of toxicity outcomes in two prospective trials of image-guided proton therapy for early and intermediate-risk prostate cancer, presented by Dr. Nancy Mendenhall, medical director of the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute. In the study, toxicity rates were scored and disease was assessed in 171 men who were followed for a minimum of five years. This study was able to more clearly define a relationship between toxicity and volume with the hope of providing dose-constraint guidelines for other proton therapy centers to help them achieve better results.
Proton therapy is still small but growing
According to Leonard Arzt, executive director of the National Association for Proton Therapy, who also attended the conference, there was more attention paid this year at ASTRO than in years past to proton beam therapy "in terms of presenters and poster sessions."
Proton beam therapy only makes up 1 percent of all radiation oncology procedures, but experts say it's expected to grow to 5 percent over the next five years. The high cost of building a facility has always been an obstacle. Currently there are 10 facilities operating around the country, twice the number in 2006. Ten more are under construction or in development to provide cancer treatment to patients nationwide. In addition, the industry has been working to reduce the costs associated with the treatment. One example is the smaller footprint proton therapy unit from Mevion Medical Systems Inc. that received Food and Drug Administration approval in June.
"At this point, it's very expensive, but I think over the next 10 years the price will come down and [reports on] its efficacy will prove its value even more," said Keole.
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