How many patients could benefit from proton therapy?
Of the 1.4 million people diagnosed with cancer every year in the United States, close to 60 percent (840,000) get treated with radiation. Experts estimate that approximately 30 percent (250,000) of those patients with cancer could benefit from proton therapy, yet there is only capacity to treat about 6,000 patients per year in centers in the United States at this time. Advances and improvements in proton therapy and diagnostic imaging technology have made it an important option in the treatment of cancer. Most existing facilities have waiting lists, however, and in many cases, patients are forced to choose other forms of treatment because of the limited number of proton treatment slots.
