Leading radiation center celebrates ninth anniversary
The Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center has become a leading facility on cancer treatment, medical technology innovation, and domestic talent training, its officials said on Wednesday while celebrating the center's ninth anniversary.
So far, it has treated nearly 6,800 patients, with a yearly growth of 18 percent. It set a one-year record by treating 1,090 patients in 2023.
In addition to receiving patients from all over the nation, the center is also included in the city's first batch of leading public medical facilities to boost international medical tourism. Over 80 overseas patients from places including the United States, United Kingdom, France, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao have made their way to the center for treatment.
The Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center is the first of its kind in China and only the third in the world.
The center, which uses cutting-edge proton and heavy ion beams to target and kill cancerous tissue without harming healthy tissue and cells, is the first of its kind in China and only the third in the world.
The center is now treating nearly 50 types of diseases, covering all common cancers while primarily targeting brain, lung, liver, prostate, nasopharynx, pancreatic and breast cancer. About three-quarters of patients are affected by these key diseases and patient survival rates and treatment outcomes are all in line with or have surpassed similar facilities in other countries.
Facing domestic demand for new radiation centers and professionals, the center set up China's first radiation physicist training course and education system. It has already trained over 110 professionals from a dozen provinces, supporting China's development of radiation therapy.
While improving clinical performance, the center also focuses on improving its health services and streamlining the medical process. It has special staff to help patients deal with commercial insurance, which covers 40 percent of its patients, and huhuibao, a private budget supplementary medical insurance for Shanghai residents.
It has helped over 560 residents with huhuibao to receive more than 80 million yuan (US$11 million) compensation, greatly relieving patients' financial burdens.
Two medics help a patient receive radiation therapy.
