Heavy Ion Therapy: Required Materials, Treatment Process, and Costs
Heavy Ion Therapy: Required Materials, Treatment Process, and Costs
You can follow the Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital Lanzhou Heavy Ion Center WeChat public account to read related popular science articles, or call the following numbers for detailed inquiries.
Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital Lanzhou Heavy Ion Center Inquiry Phone Numbers
166 0931 3666 Director Li
176 9325 0603 Teacher Yan
I. What materials need to be brought for heavy ion therapy consultation and treatment at our hospital?
Identity and Basic Information
● Valid identification documents such as ID card, health insurance card, etc.;
Medical Diagnostic Materials
● Pathology report, genetic testing report (if available);
● Imaging examination reports such as CT, MRI, B-ultrasound, PET-CT, etc.; laboratory test reports such as liver and kidney function, tumor markers, etc. (Please arrange in chronological order);
● Medical history records including initial diagnosis time, disease progression timeline, other comorbidities, drug allergy history, etc.
Treatment History Records
● Surgery (surgery name, date, postoperative pathology report, etc.);
● Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy (radiotherapy site, dose, course duration; chemotherapy drug names, cycles, efficacy and side effect records, etc.);
● Other treatments (records of targeted therapy, immunotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine, current medication list, etc.).
Personal Question List
Please prepare questions based on the patient's specific situation, such as applicability, efficacy, treatment course, side effects, etc. Doctors will provide professional answers during consultation and visits.
Initial Consultation and Assessment
After the patient sends the relevant imaging data to our consultation specialist, our specialist will organize the transmitted materials and promptly forward them to the online expert team for a preliminary consultation and assessment. The doctors will conduct a detailed imaging and pathological assessment based on the patient's specific condition. This step is crucial for determining whether the patient is suitable for heavy ion therapy. Once the expert consultation result is available, we will promptly provide the preliminary consultation feedback to the patient and communicate in detail.
II. Heavy Ion Treatment Process
- Patient Mold MakingThe patient undergoes simulation positioning. This step ensures the patient can lie accurately on the treatment bed during actual therapy. Based on the simulation results, doctors will create a custom mold for the patient to ensure treatment precision.
- Simulation Positioning and Target DelineationAfter mold making, positioning CT scans and positioning MRI scans are performed. The images are then transmitted to the target delineation system for target outlining, followed by submission to the physicist for plan design and dose verification.
- Treatment Plan DesignAfter assessment, the expert team develops a personalized treatment plan. This involves using advanced imaging techniques (like CT, MRI, and PET) to precisely locate the tumor's position and size. The treatment plan undergoes repeated verification to determine the irradiation dose, angles, and frequency.
- Formal TreatmentTreatment is typically performed by a collaborative team of professionals, including radiation oncologists, physicists, technicians, and nursing staff. Before formal treatment, a position reset is performed to ensure accurate target positioning. After resetting, the patient is guided to the treatment room for irradiation according to the previously developed treatment plan. During treatment, the patient must remain still and may need training for respiratory motion control as required.
Post-Treatment Follow-up, Monitoring, and Care
After treatment, patients need a period of recovery and regular follow-up examinations to assess the treatment effectiveness. The medical team provides necessary care and guidance to help patients manage post-treatment side effects. Depending on the tumor type and progression, multiple treatment courses may be necessary. There are appropriate intervals between courses to allow for patient recovery.
III. Treatment Patient (Costs) and Related Questions at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital Lanzhou Heavy Ion Center
How long is the heavy ion treatment cycle? Or how long is the hospital stay required for heavy ion treatmen
How much does heavy ion treatment cost?
Is heavy ion treatment reimbursed by health insurance?
How long is the heavy ion treatment cycle? Or how long is the hospital stay required for heavy ion treatment?
Regarding the hospital stay, treatment is a process requiring high precision. The preliminary preparation work takes 7-10 days, including mold making, positioning CT scan, positioning MRI scan, target delineation, plan creation, dose verification, position reset, and expert consultation, before treatment begins. Once treatment starts, it's once daily. Each treatment session is very quick, typically 2-5 minutes, but the total preparation time before and after adds up to about 20~30 minutes. Therefore, including the heavy ion treatment time, the patient's overall hospital stay is approximately 40 days. In practice, patients have a very good experience throughout the treatment process. During treatment, they relax, breathe calmly, and smoothly complete each session.
Generally, based on the treatment purpose, it is divided into:
● Radical radiotherapy
● Adjuvant radiotherapy
● Palliative radiotherapy
How much does heavy ion treatment cost at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital Lanzhou Heavy Ion Center? Is it reimbursed by health insurance?
Our hospital's charging model has been uniformly adjusted as follows: First treatment: 49,500 RMB; each subsequent treatment session: 16,500 RMB; maximum charge per treatment course does not exceed 150,000 RMB. For the second and subsequent treatment sites, only the first treatment fee is charged per site. Patients enrolled in heavy ion special insurance from major national insurance companies can get reimbursement at the Wuwei and Lanzhou Heavy Ion Centers. The hospital is actively advocating for the establishment of multi-channel reimbursement methods to alleviate the financial burden on patients.
IV. Precautions for Heavy Ion Therapy Patients
● Throughout the treatment course, patients should pay attention to a reasonable diet, nutritional supplementation, and necessary weight management. This is because significant daily weight changes can affect the patient's overall contour.
● For certain specific tumor diseases undergoing treatment, it is necessary to strictly adhere to bladder filling management, respiratory motion training, and cooperate with doctors to complete the preparations.
● During the entire treatment process, there are some marked points and lines on the body surface. We must check daily whether these lines and points are intact.
Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital Lanzhou Heavy Ion Center
Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital Lanzhou Heavy Ion Center is the second heavy ion clinical application center in China with independent intellectual property rights operated by Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital. Following the first Chinese heavy ion treatment system, the second Chinese heavy ion tumor treatment system was put into clinical operation at the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Center on November 15, 2024. As of now, the center has completed photon and heavy ion treatment for over 380 patients, covering diseases such as lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, and brain glioma.
The center has established an excellent talent system gathering elites, building a team led by 50 top industry authorities including Shen Wenjiang, Lifetime Honorary Professor of the Peking University Health Science Center Department of Radiation Oncology, and Professor Xu Bo, Standing Committee Member of the Chinese Medical Association Radiation Oncology Therapy Branch, operating expert workstations. Professor Wang Junjie, Chairman of the Chinese Medical Association Radiotherapy Oncology Branch, serves as the president, providing strong technical support for heavy ion therapy.
Simultaneously, it is equipped with a series of cutting-edge medical equipment including the Varian VitalBeam medical linear accelerator, Elekta Infinity four-dimensional image-guided linear accelerator, 3.T simulation positioning MRI, GE 256-slice high-end CT, Varian Iridium-192 imported afterloader, etc. These hardware facilities lay a solid foundation for heavy ion therapy, ensuring the efficiency and precision of the treatment process.
Aiming to build a comprehensive, full-lifecycle cancer treatment system, the center has established departments including Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology/Hematology, Surgical Oncology, Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Oncology Rehabilitation, Critical Care Medicine, Digestive Endoscopy Center, Imaging Department, Laboratory Medicine, Ultrasound Medicine, Blood Bank, Hematology Center Laboratory, etc., offering photon radiotherapy, chemotherapy, heavy ion therapy, internal medicine, surgical comprehensive treatment, as well as imaging, laboratory tests, ultrasound, bone marrow cell morphology examinations, etc.