When I chose Proton Beam Therapy as my treatment of choice I did so after very careful evaluation of all the alternatives open to me. In the end it was the personal testimonials – some going back as many as 10 years – from many thousands of men reporting excellent results with minimal side effects that convinced me that this was a ‘gold standard’ treatment.
I am still at the beginning of my treatment regimen, having completed 4 of 40 cycles ‘under the beam’, so I recognize that it is very early for me to judge the results of PBT on my own cancer. Nevertheless I can report that I continue to be extremely positive about the effectiveness of this treatment. It is known that one’s attitude towards treatment is an important determinant of a successful outcome so I am currently feeling very confident
A government agency – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – is about to consider denying insurance coverage for Proton Beam Therapy! You can read about it at:
http://www.pnhp.org/blog/2008/08/01/medicare-national-coverage-determinations/
and at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/ncpc_view_document.asp?id=19
CMS claims that proton therapy is more costly, not widely available, and that no current, comparative studies have been conducted to prove proton is better than conventional cancer treatment therapies.
There is a short window (until September 30th) for public comment at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/ncpc_viewpubliccomments.asp?id=19&expand=Y
It is interesting to note that many of the comments from medical professionals are critical of PBT. Some commentators attribute ‘a great sales job’ by NAPT (The National Association for Proton Therapy) as the reason for increasing numbers of men choosing PBT. I completely disagree! The increasing number of men choosing Proton Beam Therapy are doing so because of the positive testimony from thousands of PBT veterans regarding its effectiveness and the enormously reduced incidence of harmful side effects. It is noteworthy that the commentators advocating discontinuing Medicare coverage for Proton Beam Therapy are almost all health care specialists from competing treatment modalities. Could it be that they fear mass patient desertions as more Proton Beam Therapy Centers are created and more success stories are disseminated? After all, health care is very much a business, and in business loss of market share is a threat.
If you have experience of Proton Beam Therapy please join me in adding your comment at:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/mcd/ncpc_viewpubliccomments.asp?id=19&expand=Y
(press the orange button at the top of their page)
