Flow from consultation to treatment
Reservation required.
You must have a reservation, no walk-ins accepted.
Patients
Please consult your doctor if you wish to receive heavy ion therapy treatment.
Medical institution
Patients need to prepare medical information such as a referral letter attention to Osaka Heavy Ion Therapy Center, medical image data and various examination results.
The “Patient referral documents” means referral letter, medical image data (CT/MRI/RI/PET-CT) in CD-R showing chronological change, blood test data showing the transitions of tumor marker and urea nitrogen and creatinine, pathological findings, respiratory function test results, etc.
Patients
Agent
(medical tourism company)
Osaka Heavy Ion
Therapy Center
We will notify of treatment applicability through our medical tourism agents.
If heavy ion therapy is applicable, we will inform of the scheduled appointment details through our medical tourism agents.
Patients will prepare for the consultation through our medical tourism agents.
Agent
(medical tourism company)
Patients
Travel to Japan
Osaka Heavy Ion
Therapy Center
- Consultation
At the medical examination, we check the patient's condition from clinical information such as the referral letter, medical image data and various examination results.
As a result of examination, the suitability of heavy ion therapy will be determined.
- Preparation for heavy ion therapy
We prepare for accurate irradiation before treatment. In order to keep the patient’s body fixed during irradiation, a patient-specific immobilization device will be made. With this device attached, the patient is put in position for CT imaging necessary for treatment planning. Based on the CT image data, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and other medical staff will cooperate and make a treatment plan, by entering the position and shape of the target cancer in the computer dedicated to the treatment planning, determining the angle of the irradiation beam, the dose (= amount of irradiation), fractions (= number of irradiations), etc. to consider the optimal irradiation method.
- Heavy ion therapy
Heavy ion therapy is performed according to the treatment plan. Prior to irradiation every time, patient positioning is strictly performed. After the patient positioned on the couch and confirmed the irradiation site by X-ray imaging, the heavy ion beam will be irradiated.
- Patient follow-up
After heavy ion therapy is completed, we will provide medical follow-ups such as physical exam, blood tests, CT or MRI in cooperation with the patient’s primary doctor. The patient is to visit our center every three months for consultations to check the condition in reference to the medical examinations by the primary doctor’s medical care. We continue to observe the progress of the patient’s condition for five years after the heavy ion therapy, giving the patient necessary advice from the viewpoint of heavy ion therapy. Continuous follow-up is recommended to evaluate side effects of heavy ion therapy on a long-term basis and to ensure that there is no recurrence.