"'Cancer tissue disappeared in one month'.. Korea's first heavy ion therapy effect"

Yonsei Cancer Hospital announced on the 19th that cancer tissue was removed in the post-treatment examination of Mr. Choi (64), who was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer and received carbon ion therapy last April. Mr. Choi is the first prostate cancer patient in Korea to receive carbon ion therapy.

Mr. Choi, who was suspected of having prostate cancer during a health checkup last year, was diagnosed with stage 2 prostate cancer through a detailed examination. His Gleason score was grade 3, and his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 7.9 ng/mL.

The Gleason score evaluates the malignancy of prostate cancer on a scale of 5 grades, with grade 4 and above classified as high-risk. Mr. Choi was just one step below the high-risk group. The PSA test measures the concentration of prostate-specific antigen in the blood to assess the risk of prostate cancer. Mr. Choi’s PSA level was higher than the normal PSA level of 4 ng/mL for people in their 60s.

Starting treatment at the end of April, Mr. Choi underwent a total of 12 treatments, 3 to 4 times per week, and completed all treatments by mid-May. After treatment, Mr. Choi’s PSA level dropped to below 0.01 ng/mL, and MRI scans showed no cancer tissue.

MRI scan images of Mr. Choi. The previously detected cancer tissue (indicated in the left image) was not found after treatment.

There was no damage to surrounding organs caused by carbon ion therapy. Carbon ion therapy accelerates heavy carbon particles to 70% of the speed of light to destroy cancer cells.

To minimize damage to nearby organs, a special substance called Space OAR is injected between the prostate and the rectum. This protects the rectum near the prostate from particle beams, minimizing the risk of organ damage, bleeding, and hematochezia, thereby enhancing treatment safety.

Another patient in his 60s, Mr. A, who also received carbon ion therapy for stage 2 prostate cancer on the same day as Mr. Choi with a PSA level of 5.5 ng/mL, showed no remaining cancer tissue in his test results.

Lee Ik-jae, director of the Carbon Ion Therapy Center at Yonsei Cancer Hospital, said, “The treatment outcomes of prostate cancer patients who received carbon ion therapy for the first time in Korea have been confirmed to be currently good,” adding, “We will continue to regularly monitor the condition of treated patients and observe their progress.”