First Anniversary of the Guangzhou Concord Cancer Center Proton Therapy Center

Precision Treatment: Survival and Quality of Life

Every proton beam at Guangzhou Concord Cancer Center is precisely shaped to avoid critical organs while delivering the maximum dose to the tumor. This dual promise — survival and quality of life — has guided the center through its first year of clinical operations.

In this inaugural year, GCCC's proton therapy has already covered more than 40 disease types. The most frequently treated categories are:

• Head and neck tumors
• Breast cancer
• Central nervous system tumors
• Thoracic tumors
• Gastrointestinal tumors

Landmark First: Choroidal Malignant Melanoma

On July 11, GCCC achieved a milestone in Chinese cancer care: the first proton therapy treatment for choroidal malignant melanoma in China. The patient, who had been facing the risk of losing an eye, successfully preserved vision while receiving definitive tumor treatment.

Precision treatment by the numbers: coverage, safety, and quality at GCCC

Caring for the Youngest Patients

Pediatric patients under 14 years old accounted for 10% of total proton therapy patients this year. The most common childhood tumor types treated were:

• Germ cell tumors
• Medulloblastomas
• Rhabdomyosarcomas
• Ependymomas

Because children's tissues are still developing, reducing radiation to healthy organs is critical. Proton therapy's ability to stop at the target gives pediatric patients a better chance at long-term growth, development, and quality of life. Behind every number is a family's rekindled hope.

Safety by the Numbers

Patient safety has been the highest priority throughout the year. GCCC's clinical outcomes and operational metrics reflect that commitment:

• Grade 3 or higher adverse events: just 7%
• Proton beam system uptime: 99.2%
• Patients completing treatment as planned: 97.7%
• Average patients treated per working day: 50
• On the busiest day, care was delivered to 81 patients
• 100% of treatment regimens used advanced IMPT and image verification
• Nearly 50% of lung cancer patients used respiratory gating

Adaptive Planning: Precision in Motion

Adaptive proton therapy planning at GCCC works like tactical adjustments in battle. Nearly half of all patients received at least one plan adaptation during treatment. One lung cancer patient had nine meticulous plan adjustments to ensure the beam tracked the tumor's motion and changes precisely.

Respiratory gating is used for nearly 50% of lung cancer patients. By monitoring respiratory motion in real time, it reduces dose errors and enables more precise irradiation.

The Patient Experience

From simulation to the end of proton therapy, patients spent an average of 26.6 days at GCCC. During that time, the experiences they mentioned most frequently were:

• Having peace of mind
• Feeling valued
• Attentive care
• Receiving patient explanations
• Comfort and healing

On the busiest evening, a five-year-old child finished treatment at 9:00 PM. Happily, he skipped along holding his grandmother's hand, rushing back to the room to watch cartoons.

A Global and Local Reach

This year, GCCC has witnessed the power of life transcending mountains and seas. Patients have come from over 20 countries and regions, including Austria, Romania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, South Africa, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and more.

The patient who traveled the farthest came from the Republic of Panama in Central America, crossing the entire Pacific Ocean — more than 10,000 kilometers — to reach Guangzhou.

Within China, GCCC has achieved full coverage of 31 province-level administrative regions and 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province, bringing world-class cancer care closer to patients' homes.

Stories Across Every Age

The youngest patient treated was just 13 months old. The oldest was a 91-year-old gentleman, who said: "I'm not here to fight aging. I simply want to see a little more of this world."

A young woman born in the 1990s, already looking forward to her wedding, shared her wish: "Want to be the most beautiful bride."

And a one-year-and-one-month-old child completed the full treatment course, wrapped in the love of family and care team.

Looking Ahead

These vivid figures demonstrate the technical strength of proton therapy in precisely protecting healthy tissues, and they reflect GCCC's commitment to high-standard quality control. The trust and expectation from every patient represent the most significant responsibility upon the team's shoulders.

"We hope that with each breath, our patients breathe easier. With each heartbeat, they grow stronger."