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Asan Medical Center is taking its first step toward introducing a heavy-ion accelerator, a technology dubbed the "dream cancer treatment."
Asan Medical Center announced on the 11th that it has begun construction of a heavy-ion therapy center, aiming for operation in 2031.
The center will be built with a total floor area of 39,502 square meters (about 11,949 pyeong), spanning three basement floors and nine above-ground floors. It will house top-spec equipment, including two rotating treatment machines and one fixed treatment machine made by Japan's Toshiba. HDC I-Park Hyundai Development will handle construction, while Hanmi Global will oversee supervision.
Heavy-ion therapy is a cutting-edge cancer treatment technology that destroys cancer cells using energy generated by accelerating carbon atoms to near the speed of light. It utilizes the "Bragg peak" phenomenon, in which a tremendous amount of energy is released and dissipates at the moment cancer cells in the body are struck. With two to three times the destructive power of conventional radiation therapy, it concentrates its strike on cancer cells alone, minimizing damage to normal tissue. This is why it has earned the nickname "dream cancer treatment." It can be applied to pancreatic cancer, which is difficult to detect early, as well as lung cancer, sarcoma, kidney cancer, and recurrent cancers that are resistant to conventional treatment, offering hope to patients with intractable cancers. However, because equipping the treatment machinery and facilities costs hundreds of billions of won and the treatment is highly complex, it is currently performed at only about 10 sites worldwide. In Korea, Yonsei Cancer Center introduced a treatment machine for the first time in 2023, but demand is high and the waiting period is reportedly still substantial.
Asan Medical Center is pursuing the introduction of the latest heavy-ion accelerator, which offers a wider irradiation range for the heavy-ion beam and a higher dose rate (amount of radiation per unit time) than existing machines. It can treat a wide area in a short time, greatly reducing the burden on patients. By utilizing multi-ion beam equipment that uses various particles such as helium, neon, and oxygen in addition to carbon ions, it is expected to effectively eliminate highly resistant tumors and also be applicable to pediatric tumors. Asan Medical Center also plans to introduce an image-guided system using computed tomography (CT) equipment, realizing patient-tailored treatment by accurately reflecting changes in tumor size and location during treatment.
Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Asan Foundation, who attended the opening ceremony that day, said, "Unlike in 1977 when my late father, founder Chung Ju-yung, established the Asan Foundation, areas without medical care have virtually disappeared today, yet many patients still suffer from intractable diseases." He added, "I believe that introducing a heavy-ion treatment machine, which will bring hope to intractable cancer patients awaiting new treatment opportunities, is carrying on my late father's will."
Park Seung-il, director of Asan Medical Center, said, "Despite the need for long-term construction and large-scale investment, we decided to introduce the heavy-ion treatment machine for the highest level of cancer care." He added, "It will not only improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients but also serve as an important opportunity to further strengthen Asan Medical Center's global competitiveness."
