Two Proton Beam Therapy Centers to Treat Rare Childhood Cancers in Britain by 2017

The British government has confirmed that two proton beam therapy centers will be opened in the country by 2017, providing cutting edge treatment for hundreds of children with rare forms of cancers. The project is expected to cost over £250 million and will see the launch of radiotherapy centers at University College London Hospital (UCLH) and The Christie in Manchester.

Both of the radiotherapy centers will make use of particle beams to destroy cancer cells, a treatment that NHS patients currently avail only in Switzerland or the USA.

Stating that the centers can potentially save hundreds of cancer patients every year, UCLH's chief executive Sir Robert Naylor said, “It provides an opportunity for the NHS to become a world leader in pediatric radiotherapy, and gain an international profile in many complex adult cancers.”



Source-Medindia