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

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 introduced Hitachi's latest generation of integrated proton and heavy ion equipment.

Professor Lu Jiade, Vice President of the HeYou International Hospital Project and Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and the 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 received 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 tumor 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 exceeds RMB 2 billion. At the end of 2021, the HeYou International Hospital Project signed an equipment procurement agreement with Hitachi to introduce proton and heavy ion radiotherapy, an internationally recognized advanced and cutting-edge precision tumor radiotherapy technology, 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 delivering both carbon-ion-based heavy ion beams and proton beams. It will include 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 additional treatment room reserved for future technological upgrades.

Furthermore, the equipment utilizes the most advanced pencil beam scanning and intensity-modulated irradiation technologies currently available in proton and heavy ion therapy, ensuring high conformality for irregular tumor target volumes. The system's real-time image tracking technology effectively addresses tumor displacement caused by patient respiration, ensuring treatment accuracy, with irradiation precision for moving tumor targets reaching 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 angles, it will represent 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 introduction, the Chief Scientist of a key R&D project of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and has previously served as Vice President (Research) of the National University Hospital of Singapore, Director of the Radiation Therapy Center at the National University Cancer Centre, Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Hospital, and Professor of Clinical Oncology at Fudan University, possessing extensive experience in tumor radiotherapy and management operations.

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 of their energy at a specific depth (i.e., the tumor site). Based on this unique physical property, proton/heavy ion beams can effectively deliver “stereotactic precision blasts” to deep-seated tumor lesions in the body, minimizing unnecessary irradiation to surrounding normal tissues and organs and reducing harm to healthy tissue. 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 offers fewer side effects, allowing patients to return to normal life more quickly after treatment.

Proton and heavy ion cancer therapy systems are highly complex and require a substantial one-time investment, with few projects currently implemented domestically. Professor Lu Jiade expressed the hope that the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center will further popularize this treatment technology, helping people establish a correct understanding of cancer: cancer is not an invincible “death sentence.” By employing 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 chance of saving patients' lives and ensuring their quality of life.

Simultaneously, the HeYou Comprehensive Cancer Center (COE: Center of Excellence) is also being accelerated. 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 and the Surgical Oncology Center. 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 recruit outstanding oncology clinical, physics, and technical talent, deploy the world's most advanced precision radiotherapy equipment and technologies, and leverage the various specialized disciplines of HeYou International Hospital. It is dedicated to providing comprehensive precision diagnosis and treatment services for cancer patients, while also collaborating with top international cancer centers in various fields to build a high-precision platform for tumor prevention and treatment.