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The NHS to use a new Cancer treatment

14.12.2011

An innovative new cancer treatment could soon be made widely available in the UK.
Proton beam therapy uses charged particles instead of X-rays to deliver a dose of radiotherapy.
The treatment is currently available at three clinics in Switzerland, Florida and Oklahoma.
It is also available on private medical insurance plans in the UK, where health cover can provide help with the cost of cancer drugs and routine clinical care.
However, the Government now wants to make the treatment available on the NHS, a move which could help 1,500 patients each year.
An NHS scheme was set up in 2008 which has since sent around 80 patients abroad to receive the treatment.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley now plans to invest as much as £150 million in a proton beam therapy service for the NHS.
Under the proposals, proton therapy could be made available at NHS hospitals in Manchester, London and Birmingham.
Announcing the move, Mr Lansley was expected to say: "We want to make sure that cancer services in England are world class and that NHS patients receive the best quality treatments that are available."
Copyright Press Association 2011
Sarah Tawton