Samsung Medical Center Publishes White Paper to Mark 10th Anniversary of Proton Therapy Center

A 20-Year Journey from Initial Consideration in 2005 to the Present

Samsung Medical Center announced on April 28 that its Proton Therapy Center has published a white paper to commemorate its 10th anniversary.

Cover of the White Paper for the Proton Therapy Center at Samsung Seoul Hospital. Samsung Seoul Hospital

The Proton Therapy Center at Samsung Medical Center opened in December 2015 and has since been at the forefront of expanding the field of particle beam therapy in Korea for over a decade.

The white paper covers the entire history of the center, spanning approximately 20 years—from the initial consideration of introducing a proton therapy machine in 2005, through the start of construction in 2011, up to treatment of the first patient in December 2015 and developments to the present day. It also includes the current status of particle beam therapy both in Korea and abroad, as well as future directions for the advancement of this therapy.

Heecheol Park, Director of the Proton Therapy Center and Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Samsung Medical Center, stated, "I hope this white paper will serve as a record of our journey and as a model when preparing for future projects," adding, "Hope began here, and I wish it will continue to inspire many others in the future."

As of last year, the total number of patients treated at the Proton Therapy Center exceeded 8,183, with the number of treatments surpassing 100,000 cases.

Recently, the center has begun full-scale research on 'FLASH' technology, a high-dose radiation therapy. FLASH is a treatment method that delivers a concentrated dose of radiation exceeding 40 Gray (Gy) per second in less than one second. This approach is expected to maintain the ability to effectively target cancer while maximizing the protection of normal tissues by reducing radiation exposure time.

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