I was fortunate to receive proton beam therapy (PBT) for prostate cancer. You can read about my difficulties in obtaining treatment here. I had to be my own patient advocate for my prostate cancer treatment. It became a full time investigation in determining what was the best treatment for me. You can read more about my prostate cancer journey at this proton blog.
My desire to receive Proton Beam Radiation Treatment was passionate due to my extensive prostate cancer research and treatment options. I had no intention in experiencing long term life altering side effects from other medical procedures that were available to me. I found that the proton beam is a powerful tool in destroying cancer cells and has very little collateral damage to nearby tissue due to the Bragg peak effect. I was also aware that total treatment capacity with PBT is only available to less than 3% of the annual prostate cancer cases in the U.S. based proton centers. This is a very small number since the American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for prostate cancer in the United States were in 2009:
* 192,280 new cases of prostate cancer
* 27,360 deaths from prostate cancer
There are currently only 7 proton centers operating within the US. As indicated only 3% of the 192,000 men diagnosed annually will be treated at these centers (this is maximum capacity). If you determine PBT is right for you and you have the means, insurance and are able to get a consultation date it is worth the inconvenience of being away from home and to be treated with PBT at one of these centers.
Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer Treatment
It's been 2 years since my 45 proton treatments at Loma Linda Medical University. I feel great and enjoying life. I have had no side effects and everything works fine including no ED. My PSA is at .8 nadir. I was 53 when I was diagnosed in 2007. My PSA doubled from 2.9 to 5.8 in 8 months. I had a Gleason score of 6. I am convinced I would have had full blown systematic cancer if left untreated with watchful waiting as this link reveals. As mentioned before I put a lot of value on preventing side effects in treating this cancer. This is why I selected proton beam therapy.
International Treatment for Proton Therapy
This brings me to my quest in affordable proton beam therapy. If you decide as I did that PBT is your course of treatment you will find these costs are daunting for the under-insured or for uninsured out of pocket medical expense. The current state of U.S. health care reform may also have a big impact on who receives this treatment.
I recently toured the National Cancer Center proton treatment center in Seoul Korea. This proton center was constructed by IBA builder of 50% of the worlds proton centers. The NCC installed a Hydrogen ion, 230Mev. 220 tons Cyclotron and was built almost simultaneously as the Florida Proton Center in Jacksonville FL.
This facility is staffed by US trained Dr’s and nurses. Dr Kwan Ho Cho the director of the proton center (which I met on my tour) was former associate professor at the University of Minnesota. He is US Board Certified Radiation Oncologists and member of the American Board of Radiology.
I have determined that a US resident can make this journey to Seoul Korea, live comfortably, and be treated as a proton patient at this facility with no more concerns than any US based center. Proton treatment abroad at the NCC Proton Center is 1/3 the cost (including your airfare and housing) of US based PBT centers. Consultation scheduling is almost immediate and treatment will start within a few days of consultation. Financing is also available for your proton beam treatment.
For those that are under-insured and uninsured (no insurance) or need financing, there are many options for proton treatment within reasonable costs.
If you desire specific details of the NCC proton treatment center, financial means and travel information please click on this contact link or send me an email at curtispoling@bellsouth.net You may also want to read this post with questions on comfort and safety while traveling to Korea for treatment. I will be happy to forward information and start the process.
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