Seoul Asan Medical Center Partners With Japan’s QST Hospital on Heavy Ion Therapy Expansion

K-medical | 2025-10-30 15:30:03
[medi K / HEALTH IN NEWS] Seoul Asan Medical Center announced on October 27 that it has signed a cooperation agreement with Japan’s QST Hospital—the facility that pioneered heavy ion therapy in 1994—to advance clinical applications of the technology.

Under the pact, the two institutions will collaborate on training specialized personnel, patient referrals, and joint clinical research. Seoul Asan plans to leverage QST’s expertise as it prepares to install its own heavy ion system by 2031.

The equipment slated for Seoul will treat prostate, pancreatic, and liver cancers, as well as lung cancer, sarcomas, renal cell carcinoma, and recurrent tumors. A multi-ion beam platform capable of delivering carbon, helium, neon, and oxygen ions will minimize damage to healthy tissue while maximizing tumor control.

The new facility, to be built on the hospital’s Pungnap-dong campus in Songpa District, will span 40,880 square meters. It will house two rotating gantries, one fixed beam line, and CT-guided imaging to enable adaptive, precision treatment as tumors evolve.

Song Si-yeol, director of the Heavy Ion Therapy Implementation Task Force at Seoul Asan Medical Center (and Cancer Hospital director), and Hiroshi Ishikawa, director of QST Hospital, pose for a commemorative photo after signing a cooperation agreement on heavy ion therapy on October 27 at QST Hospital in Japan. (Photo provided by Seoul Asan Medical Center)
Song Si-yeol, director of the Heavy Ion Therapy Implementation Task Force at Seoul Asan Medical Center (and Cancer Hospital director), and Hiroshi Ishikawa, director of QST Hospital, pose for a commemorative photo after signing a cooperation agreement on heavy ion therapy on October 27 at QST Hospital in Japan. (Photo provided by Seoul Asan Medical Center)

Song Si-yeol, director of the Heavy Ion Therapy Implementation Task Force and the Cancer Hospital, said QST’s experience as the world’s first clinical adopter will be invaluable. “Through this partnership, we will broaden access to therapy for patients with refractory cancers and create a truly patient-centered care environment,” he added.

Lim Hye Jung / press@themedik.kr
Copyright © 2020 mediK. All rights reserved.

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