There was an article published in the New York Times yesterday. You can read it here:
The Pediatric Proton Foundation responded as follows:
As the mother of a child that survived paralyzing spinal
cancer at the age of 2 in part due to proton therapy, I feel compelled to
respond to this article. As you indicate in your article, there is mounting
evidence that protons will become the standard of care for cancer treatment for
pediatric patients, especially when it comes to brain and spinal tumors. The
problem for most parents is accessing proton therapy for their cancer-stricken
child. With only 9 centers in the U.S., it often involves a temporary move for
the family during the proton treatment which is often cost prohibitive (we
traveled over 1,500 miles.) Sadly, only 465 children received proton
therapy in the U.S. in 2010, and as you indicate over 3,500 could have
benefited. To solve this problem, we need to have more access for our children
through more proton centers. I congratulate Mayo for making this important
investment on behalf of all pediatric cancer patients, and I thank you on
behalf of my son, now age 6, NED and healthy.
