Taiwan successfully treats pancreatic cancer patient with heavy ion therapy

台灣重離子治療成功治癒胰臟癌癌症患者

New treatment provides hope for patients battling pancreatic cancer in Taiwan


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — When a 74-year-old individual surnamed Li (李) found out his advanced-stage pancreatic cancer was not suitable for surgery, he had very few options available to him.

The gap between research and clinical practice for pancreatic cancer remains quite vast. Furthermore, cancer in the pancreas develops quickly, often spreading to nearby organs such as the liver, coinciding with a high mortality rate, per Liberty Times.

The only option available to Li was heavy ion therapy, a new form of radiotherapy that is non-invasive and uses ions to inhibit and destroy cancer cells. Li’s four centimeter tumor shrunk to almost nothing after the therapy, allowing for an 11-hour Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy) to remove the remaining cancer cells.

Li's case has been billed as a miracle by the medical team at Taipei Veterans General Hospital Therapeutic and Research Center of Pancreatic Cancer. It was not only the center’s first case of heavy ion therapy for pancreatic cancer in Taiwan, but also only the second case in the world where heavy ion therapy had been combined with surgical excision.

Li first learned he was unwell in February as he suffered stomach pains that occasionally lasted the entire day. He thought it was gastroesophageal reflux, but after repeated medical treatments, his condition did not improve and he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Surgery is typically not an option for pancreatic cancer, as cancerous cells are too numerous and reproduce quickly. Chemotherapy did little to improve Li’s cancer as he was left with no choice but to do heavy ion therapy four times a week for three weeks, for 12 total sessions. The treatment was successful, as his tumor shrank and the pancreatic cancer tumor marker CA19-9 dropped to 12.4 .

Li’s attending physician at the center, Wu Yuan-hong (吳元宏), explained that heavy ion therapy is like a depth bomb, going deep into the body before detonating to destroy cancer cells. While it can be effective, it is difficult to apply, as patients must undergo breath training, make special molds, and lie on their stomachs for long periods of time during the course of treatment.

Wu said the typical cost of such treatment is between NT$1.2-1.5 million (US$37,000-47,000), and there are cases overseas where patients relapsed after one or two years following treatment. Therefore, when assessing Li's condition, even if the tumor was greatly reduced, surgery was still recommended to remove it.

Taipei Veterans General Hospital operates the first heavy ion therapy center in Taiwan and the 14th in the world. Since its opening in May, it has served nearly 70 patients, with 20 cases associated with prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer, followed by liver cancer and lung cancer.

According to Taipei Veterans General Hospital, the incidence rate of pancreatic cancer is 4.64 per 100,000 men and 3.21 per 100,000 women. It’s the 13th most common cancer in Taiwan but is seventh place in terms of mortality.