ArticleInternational journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics2026
Characteristics of Crowdfunding Campaigns for Proton Therapy.
Article in International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeAdvanced radiation oncology techniques such as proton therapy allow more precise treatment delivery, with improved toxicity profiles; however, insurance coverage is variable. In addition to direct treatment-related costs, radiation treatment contributes to the financial toxicity of cancer treatment through indirect costs such as lodging, lost wages, and travel. GoFundMe is a leading crowdfunding platform, with one-third of donations supporting health care costs. We sought to identify characteristics of proton crowdfunding campaigns that met their fundraising goal. METHODS AND MATERIALS: GoFundMe was queried for fundraisers with keywords such as proton therapy, proton radiation from February 2024 to March 2025. Details, such as treatment site, patient demographic characteristics, and use of funds, were abstracted from the campaign website. Campaigns were considered fulfilled if they met 100% of the goal.
resultsSix hundred ninety-nine campaigns were included in this analysis, with a median fundraising goal of $20,000 (IQR, $10,000-$40,000) and a median amount raised of $7790 (IQR, $3470-$15,418). The most common malignancies noted in campaigns were of the central nervous system (45%, 313/699), followed by head and neck (16%, 108/699). Twenty-two percent of campaigns (150/699) noted that proton therapy was not covered by insurance, which was associated with a greater likelihood of being fully funded (P = .023). Campaigns with links to additional information (hospital where proton therapy would be delivered, and external sites with information about the malignancy being treated) were also more likely to be fully funded (P = .021). On univariate analysis, pediatric beneficiaries and lack of insurance coverage for proton therapy were associated with funds raised (P ≤ .001 for both).
conclusionsCrowdfunding may be a financial safety net for patients with cancer. The success of crowdfunding campaigns may be influenced by patient demographics, insurance coverage, and donor engagement.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.