Advantages, principles, and indications of heavy particle radiotherapy
What is heavy particle radiotherapy?
It is a radiotherapywith heavy particles (carbon ions).
Radioactive rays heavier than electrons are called particle rays, and those heavier than helium ions are called heavy particle rays. Heavy particle radiotherapy is a radiotherapy utilizing this heavy particle rays (carbon ions).
Concept of heavy particle radiotherapy
Advantage of heavy particle radiotherapy
- Without pain
- Can be used in the elderly
- Radical cure in early stage
- Applicable in deep cancers which cannot be treated by X-ray
- Short time to social rehabilitation
Surgery is performed as a treatment in early to intermediate stage cancers. Surgery has great radical curativeness (complete cure) because it directly extracts the cancer focus. However, surgery removes a part of the body, and it therefore changes the shape of the body site and may lower its function.
Heavy particle radiotherapy that treats with radiation from outside of the body to the disease site can be considered treatment without dissection. It has advantages of less pain and body burden due to surgical knives, and fewer side effects than conventional radiotherapy as well.
Heavy particle radiotherapy allows radiation according to the shape and position (depth) of the cancer focus reducing impacts on other normal organs.
Video of heavy particle radiotherapy
Introduction of Heavy Particle Radiotherapy Clinic (Partner medical institutions)
A Clinic for Consultation about Heavy Particle Radiotherapy
Consultation about heavy particle radiotherapy are available in only limited medical institutes. Staff with special knowledge who can answer the details of heavy particle radiotherapy are not necessarily available in many institutes either.
Different institutes have different indications of the therapy. Therefore, Heavy Particle Radiotherapy Clinic, a consultation clinic specialized in heavy particle radiotherapy, offers determination on whether the therapy is indicated or not (second opinion).。
We meet patients’ need to consult with specialized staff and have a second opinion”
The following measures are available
- Determine indication of heavy particle radiotherapy through second opinion and screening and refer to a Japanese institution.
- If retest is necessary, PET-CT, MRI, or CT etc. are available in Toto Clinic on the 2nd floor of our clinic.
- If requested, documents to notify whether to indicate heavy particle radiotherapy are prepared. Consultation to other Japanese institution is available if requested.
President
Visiting Professor, Gunma University School of medicine
President of Particle Radiotherapy Patient Support Center
Introduction of doctors in Particle Radiotherapy Clinic
Inquiry about particle radiotherapy
Heavy particle radiotherapy institutes
As of September 2021, there are seven heavy particle radiotherapy institutes in Japan.
In all institutes, indications of the therapy has a certain condition and not all cancers are indicated. Indicated diseases differ by condition of disease and the patient
