Cancer Radiation Therapy And The Market

A Technology, a Company, and an Industrial Park -- Technology Development at a Self-Financing Medical School -- Commercializing the Medical Linear Accelerator -- Money and Power in the Radiology Department -- Kaplan Takes On Hodgkin's -- Notes -- Chapter 8 Radiation Therapy Politics -- Data and Discourse -- Politics and Policy -- Notes -- Part 3 Financializing Medicine, 1970s to the 2010s -- Political and Economic Environment -- Notes -- Chapter 9 Speculating on Proton Therapy -- Raising the Stakes -- Management Company/Manufacturing Alliances -- Proton Manufacturing Accelerates -- Practice versus Science -- The Case of the Prostate Gland -- Public and Private Health Policy -- The Insurance Industry Challenges Proton Therapy -- Globalizing Particle Centers -- Notes -- Chapter 10 Rationalizing Radiation Therapy, Reforming Health Care -- Taking the Measure of Cancer and Radiation Therapy -- Health Care Reform -- Notes -- Chapter 11 Choosing Health Over Wealth -- Market Strategies -- Re-Forming Health Care -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Selected Bibliography -- Archival Collections -- Books, Chapters, Dissertations, Journal Articles, and Reports -- Index

In recent years, the field of oncology has witnessed a number of technological advances, including more precise radiation therapy and minimally invasive surgical techniques. Three-dimensional (3D), stereotactic, and proton-beam radiation therapy, as well as laparoscopy and robotic surgery, can enhance clinician's ability to treat conditions that were clinically challenging with conventional technologies, and may improve clinical outcomes or reduce treatment-related problems for some patients. Both patients and physicians seek access to these new technologies, which are rapidly being adopted into standard clinical practice. Such demand is often propelled by marketing that portrays the new technologies as the "latest and greatest" treatments available. However, evidence is often lacking to support these claims, and these novel technologies usually come with higher price tags and are often used to treat patients who might have achieved similar benefits from less expensive, conventional treatment. The increased cost of novel treatments without adequate assessment of how they affect patient outcomes is a pressing concern given that inappropriate use of expensive technologies is one of the key factors that threaten the affordability of cancer care in the United States. To explore these issues further, the National Cancer Policy Forum (NCPF) of the Institute of Medicine organized a workshop in July 2015. This is the third NCPF workshop in a series examining the affordability of cancer care. Participants explored clinical benefits and comparative effectiveness of emerging advanced technologies for cancer treatment in radiation therapy and surgery and potential strategies to assess the value and promote optimal use of new technologies in cancer treatment. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Radiation Therapy Treatment Effects is a practical guide to common and uncommon toxicities which occur related to radiation therapy. Organized by anatomic region, from CNS to skin and extremities, it concisely and comprehensively reviews the symptoms, timing, preventative measures, and treatment of acute, delayed, and chronic radiation toxicities and provides evidence-based recommendations for management of both early and late effects. Other important chapters consist of topics such as radiation toxicity management in children, systemic effects of radiation therapy, radioprotection for radiation therapy, risk and prevention of radiation-induced cancers, challenges and approaches to cancer survivorship and how to maximize cancer patient wellness after radiation therapy. This evidence-based handbook of radiation therapy side effects, is an invaluable reference for the daily management of cancer patients and survivors. The topic coverage will assist physicians, APPs, and nurses practicing or training in radiation oncology, other oncology specialties, and primary care providers caring for cancer survivors. Key Features: Provides management recommendations and clinical pearls from topic experts Organized for quick reference by body area and toxicity Numerous tables consolidate important radiation effects for ease of reference Summarizes each known toxicity, its presentation, prevention, and management

Radiation Oncology provides residents, fellows, and clinicians with a practical, evidence-based guide to the current management of difficult cases in radiation oncology. Emphasis is on the management of those clinical challenges commonly seen in practice that the community practitioner would normally handle without outside referral. The book offers comparisons of treatment approaches to difficult situations, allowing the reader to compare their current treatment approach to that of experts and others in the community. Radiation Oncology is organized in seven sections corresponding to the major treatment areas of radiation oncology. Each section includes three cases to illustrate specific clinical challenges for which there is no clear treatment protocol. The case discussion includes an expert opinion on optimal management along with alternatives from a second academic expert's perspective and from a community practitioner's perspective. Radiation Oncology features: Evidence-based approach to difficult management challenges in radiation oncology Expert authors provide evidence assessment and management summaries through presentation of relevant cases Community practitioner reviewers ensure real-world relevance of each discussion Reviews the most relevant literature pertaining to the challenging scenarios clinicians encounter every day Management alternatives allow discussion of the full range of management options and specifics for difficult problems including hardline recommendations

The primary objective of this book is to teach residents, fellows, and clinicians in radiation oncology how to incorporate intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) into their practice. IMRT has proven to be an extremely effective treatment modality for head and neck cancers. It is now being used effectively in other sites, including, prostate, breast, lung, gynecological, the cervix, the central nervous system, and lymph nodes. The book will provide in a consistent format an overview of the natural course, lymph node spread, diagnostic criteria, and therapeutic options for each cancer subsite.