Proton Therapy Experts to Discuss Advanced, Patient-Centric Cancer Treatment at National Conference

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 250 researchers, clinicians, physicists and other experts will gather the National Proton Conference (NPC 2015) to discuss treating patients with proton therapy, an advanced, highly targeted, form of radiation that kills cancer cells without many of the damaging side effects of conventional radiation. NPC 2015 will take place March 31-April 2, 2015, in Washington, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel-Pentagon City.  The conference is sponsored by the leading membership organization for proton therapy public education, treatment access and patient awareness, the National Association for Proton Therapy.

Wyatt W. Decker, M.D., Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, will be the keynote speaker and discuss trends impacting health care. 

Prominent physicians Dr. Anita Mahajan from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Minesh Mehta from the University of Maryland Proton Center, Dr. Bhradrasain Vikram of the National Cancer Institute and Dr. Torunn Yock of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, will provide a clinical overview of the state of proton therapy research.

Lee Aase, director of the Mayo Clinic's renowned Center for Social Media, will explore how the proton community can have global impact through digital tools.

The challenges associated with developing a new proton therapy center, advances in technology, the economics of proton therapy, coverage and reimbursement for treatment, creating patient-centric programs and communicating the proton therapy story through media relations also will take center stage.

More information about the National Proton Conference, including registration information, is available at NPC2015.com or on the NAPT web site at www.proton-therapy.org. The leading sponsors of the meeting are Hitachi. ProNova, Mevion and IBA, who view the conference as an opportunity to show support for proton therapy centers at an event designed to help those centers get information about challenges common to all facilities delivering this unique therapy.  

The National Association for Proton Therapy (NAPT) is a nonprofit organization promoting education and public awareness of the clinical benefits of proton beam radiation therapy for cancer treatment. The organization is supported by world-renowned cancer centers that offer life-saving proton therapy treatment to patients. Founded in 1990, NAPT is an advocate for the advancement of proton beam technology and patient access to the unique therapy. Encouraging cooperative research and educating regulators, payment providers, and policymakers about the benefits of the therapy is critical to NAPT's mission. The website (www.proton-therapy.org) is intended to inform patients, health care providers, public and private payers, and the news media about cancer treatment utilizing proton beam radiation.

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SOURCE National Association for Proton Therapy

Related Links

http://www.proton-therapy.org