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HeYou Attends the Global User Conference on Proton and Heavy Ion Therapy Systems!

  • News
  • 2022-08-03

On July 26 and 27, Hitachi, Ltd. of Japan held the Global User Conference on Proton and Heavy Ion Therapy Systems. HeYou International Hospital Project, as a new user of the Hitachi proton and heavy ion therapy system, attended for the first time alongside world-leading medical institutions including the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins National Proton Center. In-depth exchanges and discussions were held with internationally renowned oncology clinical experts and medical physicists on topics such as proton and heavy ion therapy technology, clinical research, and applications, aiming to promote the普及 of proton and heavy ion radiotherapy and enhance the level of precision tumor treatment.


As a world-leading manufacturer of proton and heavy ion therapy systems, Hitachi, Ltd. has supplied its systems to 32 medical institutions globally (including projects under construction). However, only four institutions are equipped with both proton and heavy ion therapy technologies, and the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center is one of them, having引进 Hitachi's latest generation of integrated proton and heavy ion equipment.


Professor Lu Jiade, Vice President of HeYou International Hospital Project and Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Proton and Heavy Ion Tumor Treatment Center, presented the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center project at the conference via an online session. The project has now obtained environmental impact assessment approval and a construction permit, and is currently under accelerated construction. It is expected to be completed and commence clinical trials in 2026, helping more cancer patients receive precision treatment and enhancing the level of precision oncology treatment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even South China.


Introducing Advanced Cancer Treatment Technologies

As a key component of the HeYou International Hospital Project, the total budget for the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center will exceed RMB 2 billion. At the end of 2021, the HeYou International Hospital Project signed an equipment procurement agreement with Hitachi to引进 the internationally recognized advanced and cutting-edge precision tumor radiotherapy technology — proton and heavy ion radiotherapy, becoming the first clinical and research institution in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to be equipped with both proton and heavy ion radiation technologies.


The HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Treatment Center will be equipped with an integrated proton and heavy ion system, capable of providing both carbon-ion-based heavy ion beams and proton beams. It will simultaneously construct one proton treatment room equipped with a 360° rotating gantry and two heavy ion treatment rooms equipped with three different beam incidence angles, with one treatment room reserved for future technological upgrades.



Furthermore, the equipment employs the most advanced pencil beam scanning and intensity-modulated irradiation technologies currently available in proton and heavy ion therapy, ensuring high conformality of dose distribution for irregular tumor targets. The real-time image tracking technology configured with the equipment effectively addresses tumor displacement issues caused by patient respiration, ensuring treatment accuracy, and the irradiation precision for moving tumor targets reaches the highest level among similar equipment.


“This is currently the only equipment in the world configured with a proton rotating gantry and multi-angle heavy ion therapy. In terms of radiation type and treatment beam incidence angle, it will be the most comprehensive technical configuration globally for the present and for a considerable period after its completion.” said Professor Lu Jiade. Professor Lu Jiade is a national high-level talent引进 expert, Chief Scientist of a key R&D program of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and has served as Vice President (Research) of the National University Hospital of Singapore, Director of the Radiation Therapy Center at the National University Cancer Institute, Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Hospital, and Professor of Clinical Oncology at Fudan University, with many years of experience in tumor radiotherapy and management operations.


Building a High-Precision Platform for Tumor Prevention and Treatment


Professor Lu Jiade explained that, unlike conventional radiotherapy, proton/heavy ion beams possess a dose peak known as the “Bragg Peak,” which releases nearly all their energy at a specific depth (i.e., the tumor site). Based on this unique physical property, proton/heavy ion beams can effectively perform “stereotactic precision ablation” of deep-seated tumor lesions in the human body, minimizing unnecessary irradiation to normal tissues and organs surrounding the tumor and reducing harm to healthy tissues. Furthermore, carbon ion (i.e., heavy ion) beams have a higher relative biological effectiveness (RBE), enabling more effective treatment of malignant tumors that are less sensitive to conventional radiotherapy. Compared to photon radiotherapy, proton and heavy ion therapy has fewer side effects, allowing patients to return to normal life more quickly after treatment.


The proton and heavy ion cancer therapy system is highly complex, with a substantial one-time investment cost, and currently, there are only a few projects implemented in China. Professor Lu Jiade expressed the hope that the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center can further普及 this treatment technology, helping people establish a correct understanding of cancer: cancer is not an invincible “death sentence.” By adopting cutting-edge technology, even malignant tumors located in hidden or dangerous positions that were once untreatable can become curable or allow for prolonged patient survival, while also significantly improving the chances of saving patients' lives and ensuring their quality of life.


Meanwhile, the HeYou Comprehensive Cancer Center (COE: Center of Excellence) is also being accelerated in its construction. In addition to the Proton and Heavy Ion Center, the Comprehensive Cancer Center will also house departments such as the Precision and Drug Therapy Center for Tumors and the Surgical Treatment Center for Tumors. Before the proton and heavy ion equipment becomes clinically operational, photon radiotherapy services (i.e., X-ray) will be the first to be put into use in June 2024.


The HeYou Comprehensive Cancer Center will, by引进 outstanding clinical, physics, and technical talent in oncology, configuring the world's most advanced precision radiotherapy equipment and technology, and leveraging the various specialized disciplines of HeYou International Hospital, be dedicated to providing comprehensive precision diagnosis and treatment services for cancer patients. It will also carry out collaborations with top international cancer centers in various aspects, building a high-precision platform for tumor prevention and treatment.