Hyogo Hadron Therapy Centre Project

A project to construct a heavy ion medical accelerator facility for cancer therapy over 5 years was started in 1996 by the Hyogo prefectural government. The site is located near SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility in Harima Science Garden City, about 75 km northwest of Kobe city, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Beam particles include proton, helium and carbon. Beam energy ranges are 70-230 MeV/u for proton and helium, and 70-320 MeV/u for carbon. The facility will have two horizontal lines (one is of 15 x 15 cm irradiation field size and another one is of small irradiation field size aimed for radiosurgery), a vertical line and an oblique (45 degrees) line for proton, helium and carbon beams, and two isocentric gantry lines for proton beam. A hospital with 50 beds is constructed within the site. Clinical trials will start in the year 2001.