Japanese particle line cancer treatment system: cancer cell lethality is multiplied

Hitachi Particle Line Cancer Treatment System Treatment Room. (Photo courtesy of Hitachi)

China's network on January 19 (reporter Li Zhi) With the development of the times, the average life expectancy has increased, and health problems have become the focus of global attention. At present, cancer is still one of the main factors affecting human health.

According to the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), there were 4.57 million new cancer cases and 3 million cancer deaths in China in 2020. China's immediate neighbor Japan, which has a population of 120 million, has about 1 million new cancer patients every year, which is much higher than China in terms of incidence. The reason is that Japan's demographic structure has entered a super-aging society.

Recently, Hitachi (China) Co., Ltd. held a press conference on the particle line cancer treatment system, and Cao Xueya, general manager of particle line therapy solution department, Zhang Lifeng, deputy general manager of particle line treatment solution department, and Wu Xin, manager of particle line treatment solution department, attended the meeting and were interviewed by reporters.

Wu Xin comprehensively introduced hitachi's particle-line cancer treatment system. He said that if cancer can be detected at an early stage, it can be largely controlled and treated. At present, the main contradiction of commonly used radiation therapy in medicine is how to kill tumor cells as much as possible without damaging other normal tissues. The latest development in radiation therapy is particle line therapy, an advanced cancer treatment that uses accelerators to accelerate protons or carbon ions to about 70 percent of the speed of light to irradiate particle threads to tumors with high precision.

According to Wu Xin, particle threads can cope with some previously difficult to treat diseases, and can be two to three times more lethal to cancer cells (heavy ions) than traditional radiation therapy. Moreover, this treatment has little effect on the surrounding normal tissues, and the side effects are very small. Patients can use the work gap to treat while ensuring the quality of life, and do not need to be hospitalized for a long time for treatment.

For advanced medical solutions, patients are most concerned about cost. According to Hitachi, at present, the comprehensive cost of the technology to treat a patient in Japan is about 300,000 to 400,000 yuan. However, Japan has included some diseases in ordinary national health insurance, and the cost of individuals is less than one-third. In the United States, the cost of treatment is about 600,000 yuan or more. In Shanghai, China, the cost of the treatment is usually about 278,000 yuan. With the advancement and popularization of technology in the future, hitachi's head believes that the cost of treatment for patients in the future may be further reduced.

Talking about the prospects of the treatment program in the Chinese market, Cao Xueya stressed that China is one of Hitachi's most important overseas markets and the largest potential development market. At present, the developed countries, including Europe, the United States and Japan, the market for particle therapy systems has become saturated. There are about 106 proton heavy ion facilities in use worldwide, mainly concentrated in the United States, Japan, and Europe. With a population of 1.4 billion, China has the world's largest market in terms of healthcare, and as the aging process accelerates, the demand for medical health is also increasing. Hitachi hopes that through advanced medical technology and equipment, it can make more contributions to promoting the construction of a healthy China and helping China solve the major social problem of cancer.