Proton Therapy Advocates Stress Importance of Fair and Timely Access to Care for Patients During National Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week
Summary
“My granular cell tumor was located behind my ear and near my jaw, carotid artery, esophagus, brain stem, oral cavity - all necessary body elements for living a healthy life.Effectiveness and safety of spot scanning proton radiation therapy for chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the skull base: first long-term report.All too often, patients are denied access even when proton therapy is their best – or only – available treatment option.“My granular cell tumor was located behind my ear and near my jaw, carotid artery, esophagus, brain stem, oral cavity - all necessary body elements for living a healthy life.Unfortunately, my insurance company didn’t agree with me or my team of medical experts and denied coverage,” said Linda Thomas, a former proton therapy patient who had to fight her insurer throughout her treatment to gain approval for her care.As an FDA-cleared cancer treatment that is covered by Medicare, proton therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing excess radiation exposure to healthy tissue while resulting in significant improvement in quality of life for patients with head and neck cancers.Effectiveness and safety of spot scanning proton radiation therapy for chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the skull base: first long-term report.