1. What is the decision or change (e.g., clinical topic, practice guideline, system design, delivery of care) you are facing or struggling with where a summary of the evidence would be helpful?
Proton therapy is becoming preferred radiotherapy modality for childhood tumors; however, it is still not readily available to every patient due to geographic, insurance, travel cost and other barriers. This creates a therapeutic and ethical dilemma for clinicians and families while facing a critical decision choosing between more accessible and less expensive photon therapy modality and less accessible and more expensive proton therapy modality. If there is clear evidence on clinical benefit from proton therapy for childhood tumors, there will be a bigger push to make it available to children.
2. Why are you struggling with this issue?
There are number of institutional reports, including case control studies demonstrating modest clinical improvement in therapeutic outcome of children treated with proton modality. The issue about clinical superiority of proton beam remains challenging. There are instances when insurance rejects paying for it based on lack of good clinical evidence.
3. What do you want to see changed? How will you know that your issue is improving or has been addressed?
We seek to establish better clinical evidence on clinical benefits from proton therapy or the lack thereof. This will inform our professional community, insurance companies and policy makers to help to make evidence-based decision in recommendations to broaden the access to proton therapy to patients.
4. When do you need the evidence report?
Mon, 04/01/2024
5. What will you do with the evidence report?
This evidence will serve as a foundation for Pediatric Radiation Oncology Society (PROS) proton therapy guideline for pediatric tumors
Supporting Documentation
PTCOG PROS EPTN consensus 2018 (PDF, 947 KB)
Optional Information About You
What is your role or perspective? Immediate Past President of PROS and Executive Committee member
If you are you making a suggestion on behalf of an organization, please state the name of the organization Pediatric Radiation Oncology Society
May we contact you if we have questions about your nomination? Yes
