Carbon ion radiotherapy in bone and soft tissue sarcomas

The Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) is the world's first heavy ion accelerator complex dedicated to medical use in a hospital environment. Heavy ions have superior depth-dose distribution and greater cell-killing capability. In June 1996, clinical research for the treatment of bone and soft tissue sarcomas was begun using carbon ions generated by the HIMAC. As of August 2008, a total of 421 patients with bone and soft tissue sarcoma were enrolled into the clinical trials. Most of the patients had locally advanced and/or medically inoperable sarcomas. The clinical trial revealed that carbon ion radiotherapy provided definite local control and offered a survival advantage without unacceptable morbidity in bone and soft tissue sarcomas that were hard to cure with other modalities. (author)