Advanced Training Course on Carbon‑Ion Therapy System Opens in Wuwei

Provincial and Municipal Support for Heavy Ion Talent Development — Advanced Training Course on Carbon‑Ion Therapy System Opens in Wuwei

On September 17, the Advanced Training Course on the Clinical Application of the Carbon‑Ion Therapy System, organized by the Gansu Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security and the Wuwei Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and hosted by Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, officially opened in Wuwei. A total of 60 participants — including leading experts and key professionals in particle radiotherapy from across the province and beyond — enrolled in the training program.

Wuwei is the first city in China to host a domestically developed heavy ion therapy system with independent intellectual property rights. In 2020, the system was officially put into clinical use at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, breaking the long‑standing foreign technological monopoly and marking China's entry into the ranks of countries with independent core carbon‑ion cancer treatment technology. This training course, leveraging this pioneering platform, aims to address gaps in the cultivation of high‑end radiotherapy professionals and to promote the continued advancement and broader application of domestically produced heavy ion technology.

This training course is closely aligned with practical clinical needs and features lectures by renowned experts in the field of radiotherapy from across China. It adopts a combination of formats including specialized lectures, interactive discussions, on‑site observation, and hands‑on training.

On the first day of the course, lectures were delivered by:

• Professor Fan Ruitai from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University — Academic Leader of the Ministry of Health's Key Clinical Specialty in Oncology, Academic Leader of Henan Province's Key Discipline in Oncology, Standing Committee Member of the Chinese Society of Radiation Oncology, and the 5th Chair of the Radiation Oncology Branch of the Henan Medical Association;
• Professor Feng Qinfu, Chief Physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences;
• Professor Yu Zhilong, Concurrent Physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University;
• Professor Chen Dongji, Director of the Second Department of Radiotherapy at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital.

They delivered lectures on topics including advances in lung cancer treatment, precise target volume delineation, radiotherapy quality control, and radiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Subsequent sessions will cover soft tissue sarcomas, abdominal malignancies, and head and neck cancers, with specialized lectures on heavy ion therapy research and analysis, target volume delineation, postoperative radiotherapy principles, dual‑energy CT applications, patient immobilization, and equipment operation and maintenance management. The program also includes hands‑on training sessions on the treatment planning system, practical operation exercises, and on‑site observation at the center.

Professor Chen Dongji, Director of the Second Department of Radiotherapy at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, chairing the session

Professor Fan Ruitai from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University-Academic Leader of the Ministry of Health's Key Clinical Specialty in Oncology, Academic Leader of Henan Province's Key Discipline in Oncology, Standing Committee Member of the Chinese Society of Radiation Oncology, and the 5th Chair of the Radiation Oncology Branch of the Henan Medical Association-delivering a lecture.

Professor Feng Qinfu, Chief Physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, delivering a lecture

Dr. Yin Zhaosheng, Deputy Director of the Second Department of the Radiotherapy Center at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, chairing the session

Professor Yu Zhilong, Concurrent Physician in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, delivering a lecture

Professor Hu Tingchao, Director of the Second Department of the Radiotherapy Center at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, delivering a lecture

Professor Chen Dongji, Director of the Second Department of Radiotherapy at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital, delivering a lecture

In recent years, the provincial and municipal human resources and social security departments have placed great emphasis on the high‑quality development of the hospital's heavy ion therapy system and its talent development. They have supported the hospital in establishing the "Gansu Provincial Continuing Education Base for Professional and Technical Personnel" and the "Gansu Provincial Postdoctoral Innovation Practice Base." On August 2, 2023, the Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security issued the Notice on Supporting Talent Development at Wuwei Cancer Hospital, guiding an increase in the proportion of senior positions at the hospital and effectively alleviating difficulties such as limited opportunities for promotion to senior professional titles and challenges in retaining high‑level talent. Over the past three years, the hospital has introduced 383 personnel through multiple channels, including 11 senior‑title experts, 3 doctoral degree holders, and 132 master's degree holders. It has also flexibly engaged 12 renowned experts from China and abroad, established 50 expert workstations, and gradually formed a collaborative development framework integrating the province's two heavy ion systems.

On November 13, 2024, 13 departments — including the Provincial Health Commission, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security — jointly issued the Work Plan for Supporting the High‑Quality Development of the Heavy Ion Therapy System at Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital (Gan Wei Yi Zheng Han [2024] No. 370). This document has played a positive role in continuously amplifying the brand influence of heavy ion therapy as a "great national instrument" and promoting the high‑quality development of heavy ion medical technology.

The holding of this training course will further standardize clinical application standards for carbon‑ion therapy in the province, establish a platform for radiotherapy technical exchange within and beyond the province, and effectively promote the continued advancement and broader application of domestically produced carbon‑ion therapy technology. Going forward, the hospital will take this training course as an opportunity to further deepen academic exchanges in the field of particle radiotherapy, strengthen talent recruitment and development as well as platform construction, and promote the benefits of carbon‑ion radiotherapy technology to more cancer patients — contributing to the high‑quality development of China's particle radiotherapy industry.

Writer: Luo Bingzhi, Zong Xiaoqin

First Review: Du Xiaoting

Second Review: Guo Yishan

Third Review: Cai Qinghua