Benefitting more than 9,300 patients, Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center celebrates 11 years of operation

On May 8, the Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, the first in China to possess both proton and heavy ion radiotherapy technologies, celebrated its 11th year of official operation.

Hospital exterior. Photo courtesy of Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center, the same below

Recently, the hospital released the 2026 version of the "Proton and Heavy Ion Radiotherapy Patient Survival Report", which systematically presents its clinical effectiveness and development results in the field of particle radiotherapy.

Data show that 75% of all patients who come for treatment use heavy ion therapy alone or heavy ion combined with proton therapy. The 5-year overall survival rate of patients receiving particle radiotherapy in the hospital reached 70.4%. Among them, the 5-year overall survival rates of patients with tumor stages 0-I and II were 83.8% and 82.1% respectively. The adverse reactions during the treatment were all within a reasonable range. Comparing the data published by internationally renowned cancer centers, the hospital's particle radiotherapy has reached the international advanced level in terms of clinical efficacy and control of toxic side effects.

As the particle center that uses the most heavy ion radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer patients in the world, the hospital's 5-year overall survival rate for patients with newly treated nasopharyngeal cancer is 93.8%, and the incidence rate of grade 3-4 oral mucosal reactions is 7.8%. Its internationally pioneered heavy ion radiotherapy alone program for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer has increased the patient's 5-year overall survival rate to 45.3%, while the incidence of nasopharyngeal mucosal necrosis has dropped to 16%.

In the field of lung cancer treatment, 85% of lung cancer patients in this hospital use heavy ion radiotherapy. The 5-year overall survival rate of patients with early-stage (stage I) non-small cell lung cancer reaches 73.8%. The incidence of grade 3 or above toxic reactions in early central lung cancer is less than 1%. The 5-year overall survival rate in locally advanced (stage III) non-small cell lung cancer is 42.7%, and the incidence of grade 3 or above toxic reactions is 6.1%.

In terms of pancreatic cancer treatment, 95% of pancreatic cancer patients in this hospital use heavy ion radiotherapy alone. The 3-year overall survival rate of patients is 33.1%, the overall median survival time is 26.8 months, and the incidence of late grade 3 or above toxic reactions is 1.2%.

For localized prostate cancer, the hospital uses heavy ion radiotherapy alone. The patient's 5-year overall survival rate reaches 97.2%, the 5-year prostate-specific survival rate is 100%, and the 5-year biochemical recurrence-free survival rate is 88.3%. There are no grade 2 or above urinary system and intestinal-related toxicities.

Doctors are discussing.

It is understood that the types of diseases that Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center can treat have been expanded to more than 50 types, basically covering common malignant tumors among Chinese residents. The annual treatment volume of a single particle equipment in the hospital has exceeded 1,000 cases for five consecutive years, and has exceeded 1,200 cases in the past two years. As of May 7, a total of 9,317 patients have been discharged from hospital with particle therapy.

The Shanghai Proton Phase II project has officially started construction in September 2025. It is planned to build a new medical complex building and supporting buildings integrating medical, scientific research, teaching and other functions. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2028. After the second phase of the project is fully completed and put into operation, the hospital is expected to become the largest tumor particle radiotherapy center in the world.