Taiwan Today
Date: November 11, 2015
Taiwan’s first proton and radiation therapy center was inaugurated Nov. 10 at Chang Gung
A medical specialist operates the robotic radiotherapy couch at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s new proton and radiation therapy center in New Taipei City’s Linkou District. (Courtesy of CGMH)
Memorial Hospital in Linkou District, New Taipei City, raising the bar for cancer treatment in the country.
The NT$5.4 billion (US$165.1 million) facility boasts four proton treatment and 10 X-ray treatment rooms, and is capable of providing linear accelerator treatment to 3,000 and proton beam treatment to 1,500 patients annually, according to CGMH.
Dr. Hong Ji-hong, vice president of the hospital, said proton therapy is one of the world’s most advanced and precise medical procedures designed to fight cancer.
“By utilizing a pencil-thin proton beam, the equipment can accurately target a tumor without damaging normal tissue,” he said. “The energy will only be released as it reaches the desired depth of the targeted site to kill off cancerous cells.”
In clinical trials, the therapy proves especially efficient when dealing with undisseminated local tumors, particularly skull base and paraspinal tumors, uveal melanomas and unresectable sarcomas, Hong added. A 30-minute proton therapy treatment session costs approximately NT$21,000. [FULL STORY]
