Seoul Asan Medical Center Breaks Ground on Charged Particle Therapy Center, Set to Open in 2031

Korea's Largest Carbon Ion Therapy Center, Covering 40,000 Square Meters

On June 11, Seoul Asan Medical Center announced that it will begin construction to introduce the cutting-edge carbon ion therapy system for cancer treatment.

Seoul Asan Medical Center treats one out of every eight cancer patients in Korea and provides care to 1.06 million cancer patients annually. The establishment of the Carbon Ion Therapy Center is expected to enhance the level of cancer treatment in Korea by delivering tailored precision medicine to patients with intractable cancers and offering new treatment opportunities.

Rendering of the Seoul Asan Medical Center Carbon Ion Therapy Center. Seoul Asan Medical Center

The Seoul Asan Medical Center Carbon Ion Therapy Center is scheduled to be operational by 2031. It will be housed in a 12-story building (three underground, nine above ground), with a total floor area of 39,502 square meters (approximately 11,949 pyeong), making it the largest carbon ion therapy center in Korea. The facility will be equipped with top-tier devices, including two rotating gantry treatment units and one fixed-beam treatment unit.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Carbon Ion Therapy Center, held today, will be attended by Mong-Joon Chung, Chairman of the Asan Foundation; Sungwook Park, President and CEO of Asan Medical Center; Seungil Park, President of Seoul Asan Medical Center; and Siyeol Song, Head of the Carbon Ion Project Team. Also in attendance will be Kangseok Seo, Mayor of Songpa-gu; Tsutomu Takeuchi, President and CEO of Toshiba; Kou Isogimi, Head of the Design Division at Nikken Sekkei; and Kyunggu Jeong, CEO of IPARK Hyundai Development Company.

Carbon ion therapy, dubbed the "dream cancer treatment," is a form of radiotherapy that accelerates ions such as carbon to near the speed of light and precisely irradiates cancer cells with a carbon ion beam. Compared to conventional radiotherapy, it is two to three times more destructive, while focusing its effect on cancer cells and minimizing damage to healthy tissue. It is expected to offer new hope to patients with hard-to-treat cancers, such as pancreatic cancer that is difficult to detect early, as well as lung cancer, sarcoma, kidney cancer, and recurrent cancers that are resistant to existing treatments.

The carbon ion therapy device at Seoul Asan Medical Center features a wider irradiation range and a higher dose rate (the amount of radiation delivered per unit time) than conventional devices. This allows for the treatment of a wider area in a shorter period, significantly reducing the burden on patients.

Additionally, the multi-ion beam equipment, which utilizes not only carbon ions but also helium, neon, and oxygen ions, is expected to minimize damage to healthy tissue while effectively removing tumors with strong resistance to treatment, making it applicable to pediatric tumors as well.

Seoul Asan Medical Center will also introduce an image-guided system using CT equipment, enabling precise, patient-tailored treatment by accurately reflecting changes in tumor size and location during therapy.

Mong-Joon Chung, Chairman of the Asan Foundation, stated, "Unlike when my late father, the founder Ju-Yung Chung, established the Asan Foundation in 1977 and medically underserved areas were widespread, today such areas have virtually disappeared. However, there are still many patients suffering from intractable diseases. I believe that introducing the carbon ion therapy system, which will bring hope to patients with hard-to-treat cancers who are waiting for new treatment opportunities, is a way to carry on my father's legacy."

Seungil Park, President of Seoul Asan Medical Center, commented, "Carbon ion therapy is one of the most effective forms of radiotherapy, and although it requires long-term construction and significant investment, we decided to introduce the system to provide the highest level of cancer treatment. We expect this will not only improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients but also serve as an important milestone in further strengthening the global competitiveness of Seoul Asan Medical Center."

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