Beijing: Chinese researchers have begun clinical testing
of heavy-ion medical accelerators capable of killing cancer cells with
high-energy electrons, officials said on Sunday.
Researchers said that the
accelerators entered clinical testing for cancer patients in the northwest
Gansu province in May.
Cancer radiation treatments
employing heavy-ion accelerators can bombard a target with high-energy
electrons to kill cancer cells.
Xiao Guoqing, head of the
Institute of Modern Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said it is
widely considered the most effective way of fighting tumours.
Compared to the traditional
therapy such as radiation, heavy-ion treatment is considered to have more
balanced properties with less radiation on healthy cells.
The treatment period is
shorter and the therapy could more effectively control cancer cells.
The institute in Lanzhou,
capital of the northwest Gansu province, developed the accelerators in 2015.
It took two years for the accelerators to undergo medical
equipment testing. Registration and testing were completed in April and
clinical tests began, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Currently, the institute has
produced two sets of the cancer treatment equipment, one each in Lanzhou and
Wuwei City, which has a high rate of stomach cancer.
Patients were selected from
Gansu Provincial Cancer Hospital and Wuwei Cancer Hospital.
Testing is underway for
cancer treatment for the head, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis and limbs.
In order to ensure the
safety of the tests, 36 leading doctors in cancer treatment were assigned to
oversee the tests.
Xiao said the domestically
developed equipment marks the end of China’s dependence on imports. The
institute started basic research into the technology in 1993.
Currently, very few hospitals
in China offer heavy-ion cancer treatment in China.
Source:DNA-28th May,2018
