During the 3rd annual National Proton Conference (NPC2015), being held from March 31 to April 2, 2015, in Washington, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel-Pentagon City, Wyatt W. Decker, M.D., Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Mayo Clinic, Arizona, was chosen as the official keynote speaker.
Along with Dr. Decker, more than 250 researchers, clinicians, administrators and other experts on proton therapy will participate in the conference, which is sponsored by The National Association for Proton Therapy and The Proton Therapy Consortium, two of the main organizations responsible for proton therapy education and patient awareness.
The National Association for Proton Therapy (NAPT), founded in1990, is a non-profit organization supported by proton center members that has been designated the Voice of the Proton Community.
Its main goals are the promotion of education and public awareness for the clinical benefits of proton beam radiation therapy, this way pushing the advancement of proton therapy. It functions as a resource center for patients, physicians and health care providers, along with universities, academic medical centers, hospitals, cancer centers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other health care agencies, the U.S. Congress and staff, and the news media.
The NAPT believes that proton therapy is an improved form of radiation treatment for patients suffering from tumors, ultimately resulting in enhanced survival and minimizing toxic side effects.
“Members of the proton community, the radiation oncology community, the news media and others interested in proton therapy will gain important insights from the exceptional group of experts assembled at NPC2015,” Leonard Arzt, Executive Director of the NAPT, said in a press release.
[adrotate group=”1″]
Dr. Decker will talk about Mayo Clinic’s standpoint on proton beam therapy, along with the different trends, which are impacting health care.
Other important and respected proton physicians will also be presenting their latest clinical results comparing proton therapy and traditional radiation therapy in the treatment of patients suffering with breast and lung cancer. Other topics of discussion will include challenges associated with the creation of new proton therapy centers, technological advances, economics of proton therapy, patient expectations and explaining proton therapy to its target population.
