Brain Tumour Consortium welcomes UK proton beam therapy plans

The Brain Tumour Consortium, of which Brain Tumour UK is a member, has welcomed Government plans for the creation of a UK based national proton beam therapy service.

At the Britain Against Cancer conference, Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley announced £150m to fund the service intended to treat up to 1500 NHS cancer patients a year.

Proton beam therapy is a safer form of radiotherapy which targets tumours in the brain and central nervous system more accurately,  minimising damage to surrounding tissue and increasing success rates. It also reduces side-effects, such as deafness, loss of IQ and secondary cancers and is suitable for complex childhood cancers.

Currently only high-priority patients can receive this treatment on the NHS and they have to travel to centres in Switzerland and the United States.

The Department of Health is considering where to locate the service; the three options are trusts in London, Manchester and Birmingham. 

Ian Gibson, Chair of the Brain Tumour Consortium Steering Group, said:

 "The announcement is excellent news as the new service will improve quality of life for children and adults who would benefit from proton beam therapy, by reducing some of the side-effects of existing treatments and avoiding the need to travel abroad for state-of-the-art treatment. 

“Funding for this service has been earmarked for a long time so we are relieved that it has finally been confirmed and can now look forward to the development of the new centre. The Consortium looks forward to working with Government to ensure the service is delivered in a timely fashion and that patients’ needs are at the heart of the Department of Health’s decision-making process.”
 

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