Proton Partners International<\/strong><\/a> have\u00a0been granted approval to begin treating patients with proton beam therapy at their\u00a0Rutherford Cancer Centre in Wales.<\/p>\nHealthcare Inspectorate Wales visited the centre earlier this month,\u00a0to give the centre the green light,\u00a0following stringent checks.<\/p>\n
Now the facility \u2013 which opened earlier this year \u2013 is ready to receive its\u00a0first patient in early April, 2018.<\/p>\n
It\u00a0is estimated that proton beam therapy could be\u00a0of benefit to around 10 per cent of cancer patients throughout the UK.<\/p>\n
Mike Moran, chief executive officer of Proton Partners, said: \u201cWe are delighted that we have received approval, and we are proud to be spearheading the introduction of this innovative cancer treatment within the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us, this is the first step in ensuring that UK patients who need proton beam therapy do not need to travel abroad to receive treatment \u2013 something which is all the more important with cancer rates continuing to rise, and with research indicating that proton therapy has significantly lower side-effects than traditional cancer treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n
Treatment at the Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales will be available to medically-insured private patients, self-paying patients and referrals by NHS Wales.<\/p>\n
The parents of Freya Bevan, five, from Neath, who underwent proton beam therapy\u00a0in the United States, welcomed the news and said the treatment had given them their “little girl back”.<\/p>\n
They had to mount a fund-raising campaign to cover the\u00a0cost of their daughter’s treatment in the US while approval was still being sought from UK authorities.<\/p>\n