The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has issued a new policy for proton-beam therapy that details which cancer diagnoses should be covered by private insurers and Medicare.
The policy clarifies which diagnoses meet the organization's evidence-based standards and identifies areas where coverage with evidence development and further research are needed, ASTRO said.
It recommends two coverage groups for proton-beam therapy: patients with specific diagnoses for which proton-beam therapy has been proved effective, and patients with cancer diagnoses where evidence of effectiveness is still emerging. Therefore, coverage with evidence development is recommended for patients who are enrolled in clinical trials or a multi-institutional registry to collect data on the role of proton therapy, ASTRO said.
