Drug Makers Face Serious Challenges
In an expected verdict in a landmark opioid lawsuit, there are many doctors and patients who are awaiting the news that could mean great benefits for addicts and certain penalties for drug manufacturing companies. And while there are many people who think that the drug making companies have over pushed a drug that they knew was extremely addictive, the lawyers for the charged drug maker contend that the small percentage of people who are misusing these products pale in comparison to the far bigger number of patients who have found valuable pain relief from this same product.
No matter which side of the debate you land on, it is difficult to deny the impact that the pharmaceutical industry has on our lives. From drugs that help us recover from surgeries to pain medications that allow patients to return home faster after a procedure, there are many times when these items help. For the addicts who are abusing these drugs, however, they are a problem that entire communities are battling.
Finding a balance between the prescriptions that patients need with the temptation to over prescribe, it is important to make sure that research continues to look for not only future solutions, but also current strategies for dealing with today’s addicts.
Medical Advancements Offer a Number of Advantages for Many Patients
In spite of the problems with addiction that many individuals and entire communities are currently facing, it is important to realize that there are also many advancements in the quality of life that many people have. With the help of the latest pharmaceutical developments, many people have survived situations that would have not been possible even a few years, or decades, ago.
All of these advancements, obviously, rely on the latest research which can only be completed in a well equipped laboratory. Perhaps one of the best examples of the success of the medical and research industry is the latest applications of proton therapy centers in the cancer treatment therapy options that are available to today’s cancer patients. Proton therapy is radiation type that stops at a very specific point in the tissue that is targeted. In comparison, conventional radiation continues beyond the tumor. In breast cancer, for example, on average no radiation reaches the heart and on average 50% less radiation reaches lung as compared with conventional radiation.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the many ways that proton cancer treatment therapy options are impacted the way cancer patients are getting the care that they need:
- Researchers report that 99% of men treated with proton therapy with low risk prostate cancer have no signs of cancer recurrence after five years of follow-up.
- Researchers report that 94% of men treated with proton therapy with intermediate risk prostate cancer have no signs of cancer recurrence after five years of follow-up.
- Researchers report that 74% of men treated with proton therapy with risk prostate cancer have no signs of cancer recurrence after five years of follow-up.
- Proton therapy decreases the radiation dose to gastrointestinal structures by at least 59% compared to X-rays.
- With a total of an additional 80 treatment rooms that were under construction worldwide, at the beginning of 2015 there were more than 30 particle therapy centers.
- With brain tumors making up the majority of that number, approximately 23,800 adults and 4,830 children are diagnosed with cancerous tumors of the brain and spinal cord each year.
At times, it may seem that the news is full of information about the problems that drug companies have caused. When you take a step back, however, and focus on the positive impact that proton therapy for cancer has had when treating prostate cancer you know that what you see on the news is not the whole story. Proton cancer treatment therapy options continue to be one of the most effective ways that many patients are dealing with specific kinds of breast, prostate, as well as head and neck cancer.
The pharmaceutical industry offers hope to many patients and their families. Administered at cancer treatment therapy centers across the country, there are a number of people who find the results they need with the latest proton therapy options that are available.