Check out the latest news about proton therapy: this week, find out how this state-of-the-art treatment modality is gaining ground and saving more and more lives worldwide.
SISTER RAISES CASH TO SEND LITTLE BROTHER FOR PT
2-year-old Noah went to America for proton beam therapy after his 26-year-old sister Jade raised nearly £3,000 on a GoFundMe page to help fund the trip.
Noah was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma when he was just 16 months old. He was immediately started on chemotherapy and underwent major surgery in February of this year to remove as much of his tumor as possible. With Noah needing 31 sessions of PT to target the remaining cancerous cells, the family were daunted by the cost of travelling and living in Oklahoma for ten weeks while he underwent treatment. But with the help of Jade and her charity efforts, Noah was able to receive his treatment in America. Jade said: “Noah was able to have a graduation ceremony and got to ring a big bell indicating the end of his ordeal. This was a very emotional day for my family but Noah loved being the center of attention, smiling all the way.”
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/croxteth-sister-raises-cash-send-9575613
5 YEAR OLD SURVIVES RARE TUMOR
Jayden Stone is incredibly lucky to be alive after surviving a rare and aggressive brain cancer the size of a golf ball when he was a toddler, for which he was given a less than 10% chance of survival.
It was only his mother’s remark that neighbors had noticed Jayden walking with his head tilted to one side that prompted his doctor to order a CT scan as a precaution. Then 20 months old, he was diagnosed with an atypical teratoïd rhabdoïd tumor, a childhood cancer already so big he would have died within 3 weeks if it had not been found. He was given a less than 10% chance of survival even only after a difficult course of treatment including surgery, chemotherapy and proton therapy in the US. Now 5, he remains cancer-free but like all families of children treated with aggressive cancers, the Stones know there is no such thing as “being out of the woods”. Mrs Stone is a strong supporter of childhood cancer research groups, including Sydney’s Children’s Cancer Institute, which is raising awareness about the need for continuing research. “Jayden is only alive because of the research but we need continued support because children are still dying,” Mrs Stone said.
Source: http://health.thewest.com.au/news/2135/lucky-jayden-survives-a-rare-tumour
UK’S FIRST PT CANCER TREATMENT CENTER
Proton Partners International Limited (PPI) has started work at Celtic Springs Business Park in Newport, where the first proton therapy cancer treatment center will be built in the UK. The center is due to be operational next year.
Senior management from PPI has started work at the Newport site. “Today is a major milestone for cancer treatment,” said Mike Moran, chief executive officer of PPI. The Newport center is the first of 3 PT centers that will be built by PPI in the UK. The other sites will be in Northumberland and London. PPI has appointed global partners to provide class-leading clinical equipment and innovative technology solutions: IBA (Ion Beam Applications), the world’s leading provider of PT solutions for the treatment of cancer, has been selected to install its single-room PT system, and Philips has been appointed to deliver software & technology tools and provide big bore CT scanners at each center and a PET CT in the Newport center.
Source: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/business/business-news/work-starts-newport-uks-first-9619118
