3rd International Training Course on China's Carbon‑Ion Therapy System Opens in Wuwei

Matching Global Outcomes, Scaling New Heights — 3rd International Training Course on China's Carbon‑Ion Therapy System Opens in Wuwei

Editor's Note: In 2025, Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital completed 903 heavy ion treatment cases over the year, setting a new domestic record for annual treatment volume within China's heavy ion systems. The hospital also launched nine globally registered prospective clinical studies on malignant tumors and nine research‑based heavy ion treatment programs for benign diseases, including knee osteoarthritis and Alzheimer's disease — continuously expanding the application boundaries of heavy ion technology. To date, the hospital has provided heavy ion therapy to over 3,100 patients from China and abroad, covering more than 100 types of malignant tumors. In 2026, the hospital will continue to optimize its clinical workflow, strive to further increase annual treatment volume, and advance more than 10 research‑based heavy ion treatment programs for both benign and malignant diseases.

Domestically produced heavy ion radiotherapy stands as a landmark achievement of independent innovation in China's high‑end cancer care sector. As the first hospital in China to achieve large‑scale clinical application of a carbon‑ion system, Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital has continued to deepen both clinical practice and research, forming a standardized clinical framework that offers a replicable and instructive model for heavy ion institutions currently under development across the country. This work helps elevate the overall professional competence and technical standards of China's proton and heavy ion radiotherapy industry, advancing the standardized, large‑scale, and international development of domestically produced heavy ion technology.

On September 17, the "International Symposium on Clinical Application of China's Carbon‑Ion Therapy System" and the "Third International Training Course on Clinical Application of China's Carbon‑Ion Therapy System" officially opened at the Wuwei Heavy Ion Center of Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital. The training course is jointly organized by the Wuwei Medical Association, the Macao Convention and Exhibition Industry Association, and Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital. Leading experts from China and abroad gathered in Wuwei to jointly chart a new blueprint for the high‑quality development of China's domestically produced heavy ion program.

It is reported that the training course spans four days and features lectures delivered by renowned experts from China and abroad, including:

• Academician Xia Jiawen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, First‑Class Researcher and Chief Scientist at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences;
• Professor Hirohiko Tsujii, known as the "Father of Heavy Ion Therapy" worldwide and a founding figure in the field of particle therapy, former Director of the QST Hospital (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Japan) Heavy Ion Medical Science Center;
• Professor Wang Junjie, the 10th Chair of the Chinese Society of Radiation Oncology and President of the Lanzhou Campus of Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital;
• Professor Xia Tingyi, the 7th and 8th Vice Chair of the Chinese Society of Radiation Oncology;
• Professor Lu Xiaoming, Chief Medical Physicist at the Hefei Ion Medical Center and Vice Chair of the Particle Therapy Co‑Operative Group (PTCOG);
• Dr. Taku Inaniwa, Head of the Treatment Beam Research Group at the QST Quantum Medical Science Research Institute, Japan;
• Professor TAN HONG QI, Certified Medical Physicist in the Radiation Oncology Department at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and Professor at Nanyang Technological University;
• Professor Yee‑Min Jen, the 9th Chairman of the Taiwan Society for Radiation Oncology and Specially Appointed Expert at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital.

These distinguished experts from relevant fields both in China and internationally will personally deliver lectures at the training course.

At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by Ye Yancheng, President of Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital; Academician Xia Jiawen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, First‑Class Researcher and Chief Scientist at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences; and Sun Pengfei, Chair of the Radiation Oncology Branch of the Gansu Medical Association. Lu Hongjun, President of the Macao Convention and Exhibition Industry Association, presented the 2027 Macao Session of the International Training Course on the Clinical Application of the Carbon‑Ion Therapy System.

Ye Yancheng, President of Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, delivering a speech

Academician Xia Jiawen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, First‑Class Researcher and Chief Scientist at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivering a speech

Sun Pengfei, Chair of the Radiation Oncology Branch of the Gansu Medical Association, delivering a speech

Lu Hongjun, President of the Macao Convention and Exhibition Industry Association, presenting the 2027 Macao Session of the International Training Course on the Clinical Application of the Carbon‑Ion Therapy System

On the same day, the following lectures were delivered:

• Academician Xia Jiawen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Deputy Director of the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, presented "Current Status and Future of Heavy Ion Therapy for Tumors," reviewing the development history of heavy ion cancer treatment and outlining the prospects for domestically produced heavy ion technology.
• Professor Wang Junjie, the 10th Chair of the Chinese Society of Radiation Oncology, presented "From Proton and Heavy Ion Therapy to Neutron Capture," comparing the characteristics of different particle radiotherapy modalities and introducing their clinical applications.
• Professor Hirohiko Tsujii, Director of the QST Hospital Heavy Ion Medical Science Center (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Japan), presented "Clinical Experience in Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Hypofractionated C‑ion RT," sharing Japan's clinical experience in the efficacy and safety of hypofractionated carbon‑ion radiotherapy.
• Professor Taku Inaniwa, Head of the Treatment Beam Research Group at the QST Quantum Medical Science Research Institute, Japan, presented "RBE Models and Dose Calculation Algorithms for CIRT," explaining relative biological effectiveness models and dose calculation algorithms for carbon‑ion radiotherapy.
• Professor Yee‑Min Jen, the 9th Chairman of the Taiwan Society for Radiation Oncology and Specially Appointed Expert at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, presented "Radiation Sensitivity and Fractionation Sensitivity," analyzing tumor response patterns to radiation and fractionation schedules. He also shared "Radiation Biology of Carbon Ions," elucidating the unique radiobiological effects of carbon ions and providing a biological basis for clinical treatment planning.
• Dr. Yin Zhaosheng, Deputy Director of the Second Department of Radiotherapy at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, presented "Carbon‑Ion Therapy for Head and Neck Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma," sharing clinical practice points based on cases treated at our hospital.
• Professor Ji Yongling, Director of the Department of Thoracic Radiotherapy at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, presented "Unresectable Stage III NSCLC – Exploration of Combined Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy and Heavy Ion Therapy," sharing practical clinical experience in heavy ion radiotherapy for lung cancer.

Academician Xia Jiawen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Deputy Director of the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivering a lecture titled "Current Status and Future of Heavy Ion Therapy for Tumors"

Professor Wang Junjie, the 10th Chair of the Chinese Society of Radiation Oncology, delivering a lecture titled From Proton and Heavy Ion Therapy to Neutron Capture.

Professor Hirohiko Tsujii, Director of the QST Hospital Heavy Ion Medical Science Center (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Japan), delivering a lecture

Clinical Experience in Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Hypofractionated C‑ion RT

Professor Taku Inaniwa, Head of the Treatment Beam Research Group at the QST Quantum Medical Science Research Institute, Japan, delivering a lecture.

RBE models and dose calculation algorithms for CiRT

Professor Yee‑Min Jen, the 9th Chairman of the Taiwan Society for Radiation Oncology and Specially Appointed Expert at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, delivering lectures titled Radiation Sensitivity and Fractionation Sensitivity and Radiation Biology of Carbon Ions

Dr. Yin Zhaosheng, Deputy Director of the Second Department of Radiotherapy at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, delivering a lecture titled Carbon‑Ion Therapy for Head and Neck Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

Professor Ji Yongling, Director of the Department of Thoracic Radiotherapy at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, delivering a lecture titled Unresectable Stage III NSCLC – Exploration of Combined Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy and Heavy Ion Therapy

As the birthplace of domestically produced heavy ion technology and the only hospital in the world operating two heavy ion therapy systems simultaneously, the hospital has established an integrated dual‑center development framework linking Wuwei and Lanzhou. Leveraging nine world‑first or China‑first heavy ion cancer treatment technologies — including precision heavy ion therapy under ventilator control, bladder‑capacity‑controlled treatment for bladder cancer, and single‑session therapy with surgically implanted spacers between organs and tumors — the hospital has brought new hope to patients with complex tumors for whom conventional radiotherapy has limited efficacy. Thanks to its unique physical and biological advantages, heavy ion therapy is now indicated for more than 100 types of malignant tumors. To date, the hospital has treated more than 3,100 patients from all provinces and municipalities across China, as well as from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and countries including Belgium, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, Canada, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, New Zealand, Jordan, Serbia, and Russia. For refractory high‑grade glioma, the median progression‑free survival has nearly doubled compared with the internationally recognized photon‑based Stupp study, with median overall survival increasing by 13.4 months to 30 months. For stage III locally advanced non‑small cell lung cancer, the 2‑year overall survival rate is 19.3% higher than that reported in the RTOG 0617 photon chemoradiotherapy study. For pancreatic cancer, known as the "king of cancers," heavy ion therapy demonstrates a clear advantage, extending patient survival by more than 10 months compared with conventional photon therapy, with a median survival of 27 months.

This international training course has established a bridge for academic exchange that transcends borders and regions. It serves both as a concentrated export of China's standardized clinical experience in carbon‑ion therapy and as a vibrant collision of cutting‑edge ideas in global particle radiotherapy. Standing at this new starting point, Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital will continue to deepen clinical practice and focus on research, continuously refining its domestically developed carbon‑ion diagnosis and treatment system and sharing standardized clinical experience and talent development programs. With the Silk Road as a bond and technology as a bridge, we will join hands with colleagues around the world to advance innovation in heavy ion radiotherapy, ensuring that China's independently developed cutting‑edge medical technology benefits more cancer patients at home and abroad — steadily advancing toward the goal of achieving higher‑level global parity in the field of heavy ion therapy.

Conference Highlights

Writer: Guo Yishan

First Review: Duan Shengyu

Second Review: Guo Yishan

Third Review: Cai Qinghua