First clinic to offer high-energy proton beam therapy opens
A CLINIC has become the first in the UK to offer high-energy proton beam therapy to cancer patients.
Rutherford Cancer Centre, based at Celtic Springs Business Park in Newport, is now open and able to treat patients with the more targeted form of radiotherapy.
Doctors claim proton beam therapy is more efficient than conventional forms of radiotherapy because it reduces damage to peripheral tissue and organs.
Treatment is likely to cost about £60,000 per patient and will also be available to NHS patients who are referred to the centre.
Previously many cancer patients across the UK travelled abroad to have the pioneering form of cancer treatment, sometimes at a substantial financial cost.
Mike Moran, chief executive officer of Proton Partners International, said: “We are delighted that the UK’s first high-energy proton beam therapy centre, the Rutherford Cancer Centre in Newport, is now open and equipped to treat patients be they self-paying, insurance-funded, or referred from an NHS provider.
“This is the first step in ensuring that UK patients who need proton beam therapy do not need to travel abroad to receive treatment – something which is increasingly important with cancer rates continuing to rise and with research indicating that proton therapy has significantly lower side-effects than traditional cancer treatments. “The Rutherford Cancer Centre in Wales will transform the lives of many cancer patients with this very precise form of treatment.”
It is estimated that around 10% of UK patients who currently receive conventional radiotherapy would be better treated with proton beam therapy.
Due to its precision and accuracy, research has highlighted that proton beam therapy is particularly good for treating cancers in children and can effectively treat hard-to-reach cancers in the brain or near the spinal cord.
In addition to proton beam therapy Rutherford Cancer Centre also offers offer external beam radiotherapy, chemotherapy, imaging (including MRI and CT), and supportive care services.
The centre expects to treat up to 500 patients every year.
Mr Moran added: “Our mission is to make the best cancer care accessible to patients across the country and, although the UK has been a bit late in adopting highenergy proton beam therapy, we are going to be equipped with the most advanced treatment system available.
“There is a growing need for proton beam therapy treatment around the world as it has been shown to deliver significant results for patients.
“Its effectiveness at lowering side-effects compared to traditional radiation treatment is transforming the lives of many thousands of cancer patients.”