Proton Partners International is building a network of Rutherford Cancer Centres across the UK to be able to provide cancer patients with proton beam therapy treatment as well as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, imaging and wellbeing services.
Professor Karol Sikora, chief medical officer of Proton Partners International, said: “This is a landmark moment in UK cancer care and it is a significant step in transforming the way patients are treated.
“Proton beam therapy has been available abroad for many years, so it is hugely important that the UK is now able to offer this type of cancer care. There is a debate around how many patients are suitable for proton beam therapy. We do know that proton beam therapy is effective in the treatment of children as it reduces damage to surrounding healthy tissue, and it is also proven to work in tackling hard-to-reach tumours.”
There are more than 150,000 cancer patients in the UK every year who are treated with radiation therapy. Proton Partners International believes around 10% of patients treated with radical radiotherapy – the figure accepted at European level - could be better treated with proton therapy.
