[ Next ] [ Prev ] [ TOC ] [ Home ]

Chin Med J (Taipei) 1998;61:S65.

Proton Therapy Center in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital: Present Status and Prospect

Ji-Hong Hong*^ , Chien-Yi Yeh*, Chung-Chi Lee*^ and Cheng-Wei Yeh#

*Department of Radiation Oncology, #Medical Instrument, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, ^Department of Medical Technology, Chang Gung University

Abstract

More than 40% of cancer patients receive radiotherapy as part of the cancer treatment in Taiwan. However, conventional x-ray treatment may not properly treat tumors such as hepatoma, or may induce various degrees of complications. Since clinical research has shown that proton therapy can improve tumor control rate and reduce complications from its superior dose distribution, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital decided to build the first hospital-based proton therapy center in Taiwan.

The new proton therapy center is located at the new building in the campus of main hospital at Lin-Kou and has three gantry and one fixed beam rooms. The accelerator is either a 250 MeV synchroton or 235 MeV cyclotron. Our clinical specifications, which meet the most stringent requirement of medical application, will be presented in the meeting. This proton facility will be able to treat 3,000 patients per year. To handle heavy patient loading and maintain high treatment quality, the computer -aided or -controlled systems will be fully integrated into the facilities such as treatment couch, digital imaging and patient auto-positioning. We have set a team whose members include radiation oncologist, medical physicists and medical engineers and hospital administers, and invited the nuclear physicist as a consultant. We expect to sign the formal contract before the end of this summer and to open the facilities in 3 years (year 2001).

[Chin Med J (Taipei) 1998;61:S65.]

Copyright: 1998, Chinese Medical Association (Taipei)