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The Research Center Hospital for Charged Particle Therapy of the NIRS is the only singledepartment hospital of radiology in Japan and is unique in its specialization in radiotherapy for cancer. It performs radiotherapy with highly advanced medical technology and clinical studies mainly using radiotherapy and diagnosis, and has a role as a tertiary hospital for radiation emergency medicine.
The hospital is designed to protect the privacy of patients, attaches importance to contact with families, and has a high level of amenities and utilities. The hospital personnel play a leading role for both Asian and Western countries in pioneering new clinical techniques in the area of radiation medicine.
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Clinical studies conducted in an ideal environment with careful attention to detail
“Clinical Studies on Cancer Therapy with Charged Particles” refers to the clinical studies conducted using HIMAC (heavy ion medical accelerator in Chiba) at the NIRS. These studies are conducted to verify the safety and efficacy of charged particle therapy for different types of cancer and to extend the role of charged particle therapy to diseases where its use will have more benefit than conventional therapies.
Cancer therapy with charged particles is performed ethically and scientifically under the supervision of and in cooperation with committees consisting of internal and external specialists and experts, such as the Heavy Ion Therapy Network Association, which is the supreme organization in charge of conducting clinical studies, the Planning Committee and its subcommittees, the Evaluation Committee and its study groups, and the Ethical Review Board.
Charged particle cancer therapy approved as a highly advanced medical technology
The number of patients enrolled in charged particle therapy at the Research CenterHospital for Charged Particle Therapy has increased year by year since 1994, and exceeded 6,000 in May 2011. In the early phases of clinical studies, some patients developed adverse reactions (side effects) of the lung, skin, or other organs but all made a satisfactory recovery. Serious gastrointestinal reactions were observed in a small number of patients, but this side effect was resolved by the determination of appropriate doses and improvements in radiation methods. Based on the accumulated clinical study data, radiation therapy is now being performed with greater therapeutic effect to treat the cancer and improve symptoms in many patients.
The Hospital's clinical studies were conducted on patients who were difficult to cure with other therapies, and showed remarkable efficacy especially in tumors resistant to x-rays such as adenoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, malignant melanoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and sarcoma. Based on these achievements, the therapy was approved as a highly advanced medical technology(advanced medicine, since October 2006) by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in October 2003.
Medical consultation service opened
With increasing appreciation of the expertise of the NIRS in advanced charged particle therapy, many requests for medical consultations on cancer therapy come from all areas of Japan.
The hospital has established a telephone consultation service staffed by dedicated personnel and a system to respond as best we can to questions by e-mail. In addition, two days a week are scheduled for specialist outpatient medical consultations. Your reffering physician can ask about indications for the treatment by e-mail to kokusai@nirs.go.jp.
