Wuwei Heavy Ion Center

The Wuwei Heavy Ion Center in Gansu Province is equipped and technologically supported by the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and its clinical operation is managed by the Wuwei Cancer Hospital of Gansu Province. The campus covers ver 406 acres, with a total construction area of 213,180 square meters. It includes a heavy ion cancer treatment center and a supporting cancer hospital with 1,600 beds.

Construction of the center began in May 2012 with a total investment of 3.2 billion yuan. The Wuwei heavy ion therapy system registration license was approved by the National Medical Products Administration on September 29, 2019, and the carbon ion radiotherapy system configuration license was approved by the National Health Commission on November 29, 2019. It started clinical operation in March 2020.

Professional technicians have received training in Germany, the United States, Japan, and Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Hospital, mastering the latest knowledge related to heavy ions. The center has also hired internationally renowned heavy ion experts such as Dr. Hiromi Kato, Dr. J. Hauff, Dr. Tatsumi Kanai, Dr. Koichi Shibayama, and Dr. Koichi Noda. The Wuwei Cancer Hospital has established medical alliances with many domestic cancer hospitals.

The characteristics of carbon ion beams lie in their relatively heavy particle mass, which results in a more reasonable dose distribution in the human body compared to X-rays and proton beams. This enables tumor treatment without harming other important normal tissues. Additionally, the biological effects of carbon ion beams are superior, and they can be effective for tumors that are difficult to treat with X-rays and protons.

To achieve this "sharp" radiation therapy, accurate tumor diagnosis, precise determination of the tumor infiltration range, and setting the optimal number of treatments are crucial. Therefore, the center has invested in equipment such as PET-CT, 3.0T MRI, dynamic 500-slice gemstone spectral CT, Siemens S2000 color Doppler ultrasound, and VARIAN Vital Beam and Elekta Infinity linear accelerators to provide patients with more precise and complementary treatments.

The center will fully utilize the characteristics of carbon ion beams to achieve higher precision control of tumors while minimizing side effects, allowing patients to quickly return to normal life after treatment. The Wuwei Heavy Ion Center is committed to building a first-class domestic and internationally advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment center integrating heavy ion basic research, talent cultivation, and clinical treatment. In the future, heavy ion beam therapy will carry more expectations and provide the best radiation therapy for cancer patients.

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