Yonsei Medical Center Launches Korea's First Carbon Ion Therapy for 'Dream Cancer Treatment'... First Patient with Prostate Cancer

Yonsei Medical Center began carbon ion therapy, known as the "dream cancer treatment," on the 28th. This is the first time carbon ion therapy has been introduced in Korea. The first patient is Mr. A, a man in his 60s diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer.

Fixed Treatment Room at the Particle Therapy Center.
[Photo by Yonsei Medical Center]

Mr. A had a 1.2 cm tumor confined within the prostate capsule, with no metastasis to lymph nodes or surrounding organs. After the initial examination on this day, treatment will be administered 12 times over three weeks.

Mr. A said, "I thought only a few minutes had passed since the treatment started, but I was surprised when they said the carbon ion therapy was finished, and I felt no pain at all. Since there are no foods I need to avoid, I plan to enjoy meals comfortably once I leave the hospital."

Mr. A discovered elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels during a health checkup in 2020. After being diagnosed with prostate cancer at a hospital in Seoul last December and considering surgery, he learned that Yonsei Medical Center was introducing carbon ion therapy. He decided to undergo the treatment due to its advantages of being non-surgical and having fewer side effects, becoming the first patient in Korea to receive carbon ion therapy.

The advantage of carbon ion therapy for prostate cancer lies in its effectiveness. In Japan, where experience with carbon ion therapy is most extensive, about 25-30% of patients receiving this treatment are prostate cancer patients. It is also the second cancer type covered by the national health insurance for carbon ion therapy in Japan.

Medical staff are checking the X-ray examination results in the positioning room. The positioning room is where the final X-ray examination is conducted and the results are confirmed before the actual heavy ion irradiation.
[Photo by Yonsei Medical Center]

One very important indicator of treatment effectiveness in localized prostate cancer is the biochemical recurrence-free rate. Biochemical recurrence is defined as a PSA level rising by 2 ng/mL or more above the lowest level recorded after treatment. In low-risk prostate cancer with well-differentiated cancer cells, both carbon ion therapy and X-ray therapy show similar biochemical recurrence-free rates. However, in high-risk groups, carbon ion therapy begins to show superior 5-year biochemical recurrence-free rates, meaning the prostate cancer cells do not regrow. In the highest-risk group, the 5-year biochemical recurrence-free rate after carbon ion therapy has been reported to exceed 90%.

Treatment safety has also been confirmed through various studies, showing low incidence rates of gastrointestinal side effects such as bloody stools, as well as urinary side effects including frequent urination, urgency, and hematuria, which can occur with prostate cancer treatment. Additionally, the total actual treatment time, including pre-treatment positioning and actual irradiation, is less than 30 minutes. High patient convenience is another advantage, allowing patients to enjoy daily activities such as exercise and travel. Since the prostate is close to the anus, patients are advised to avoid hot baths for about a month.

However, not all prostate cancers are suitable for carbon ion therapy. Among prostate cancer stages 1 to 4, stage 4 and cases with metastasis are often difficult to treat. The same applies to patients who have had their prostate surgically removed or previously received radiation therapy to the prostate area, as it becomes difficult to locate the target tumor mass for treatment.

Choi Jin-seop, director of Yonsei Cancer Hospital, said, "Following the fixed-type treatment machine that has just started, we will operate a rotating-type treatment machine and expand the range of cancers eligible for carbon ion therapy. Yonsei Cancer Hospital, equipped with carbon ion therapy, will lead the conquest of cancer with various treatment options including surgery and chemotherapy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.