Charged particle therapy is generally regarded as cutting-edge technology in oncology. Many proton therapy centres are active in the USA, Europe, and Asia, but only a few centres use heavy ions, even though these ions are much more effective than x-rays owing to the special radiobiological properties of densely ionising radiation. The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) Chiba, Ja...

BACKGROUND Carbon-ion radiotherapy has several potential advantages over X-rays. This therapy has been applied for various solid tumors including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, some patients have shown resistance to this treatment. A new effective combined treatment strategy is required for improving the therapeutic effects. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) are new th...

Particle radiotherapy such as proton and carbon ion has been producing promising clinical results worldwide. The purpose of this study was to compare metastatic capabilities of malignant tumor cells after irradiation with photon, proton, and carbon ion beams to clarify their ion beam-specific biological effects. We examined the biological properties of highly aggressive HT1080 human fibrosarcom...

In June 1994, the world's first clinical center offering carbon ion radiotherapy opened at the National Institute of Radiological Science (NIRS), Japan. Among several types of ion species, carbon ions were chosen for cancer therapy because they were judged to have the most optimal properties in terms of superior physical and biological characteristics. As of March 2010, 5,196 patients have been...

High-energy beams of charged nuclear particles !protons and heavier ions" offer significant advantages for the treatment of deep-seated local tumors in comparison to conventional megavolt photon therapy. Their physical depth-dose distribution in tissue is characterized by a small entrance dose and a distinct maximum !Bragg peak" near the end of range with a sharp fall-off at the distal edge. Ta...

Charged particles can achieve better dose distribution and higher biological effectiveness compared to photon radiotherapy. Carbon ions are considered an optimal candidate for cancer treatment using particles. The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) in Chiba, Japan was the first radiotherapy hospital dedicated for carbon ion treatments in the world. Since its establishment in 199...

Rapid and facile preparation of the cheap modified electrode materials is an important parameter in development of the efficient electrochemical sensor for industrial scale production and mass-market usage. In the present work, the carbon paste electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was prepared for sensitive determination of lead (Pb) ion in the presence of bismuth (Bi)...

Rapid and facile preparation of the cheap modified electrode materials is an important parameter in development of the efficient electrochemical sensor for industrial scale production and mass-market usage. In the present work, the carbon paste electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was prepared for sensitive determination of lead (Pb) ion in the presence of bismuth (Bi)...

called the “Center”) was established in 1993 when NIRS completed construction of the HIMAC. Since then it has been carrying out clinical, biological and physics research using heavy ions generated from the HIMAC. After accumulating clinical experiences of carbon ion radiotherapy (C-ion RT) in various types of malignant tumors, the Center was successful in obtaining approval from the Ministry of...

Medical physics is very important in carbon ion radiotherapy, as it is in conventional radiotherapy using X-rays and in estimation of exposed dose in the space environment. High-energy ion beams such as carbon beams have physical characteristics such as the Bragg curve, high LET, and nuclear reactions producing fragmentations. Therefore, understanding these properties well is essential for furt...