Agreement Sign with Toshiba Consortium on the 7^th, Establishing Cutting-Edge Treatment Environment to Provide Precision Medicine for Patients with Intractable Cancer

AMC President Seung-Il Park “Expanding Access to Cancer Treatment and Advancing the Standard of Cancer Treatment in Korea”

▲ Asan Medical Center held a signing ceremony on Monday, April 7, to finalize its agreement to introduce a heavy ion therapy system.

(From left) Vice President Tsutomu Takeuchi of Toshiba ESS, President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center, and CEO Chang-kyu Lee of DK Medical Solutions, pose for a commemorative photo after signing the agreement.

Asan Medical Center, which treats the highest number of cancer patients in South Korea, is set to introduce a cutting-edge cancer treatment system known as the ‘Heavy Ion Therapy System,’ taking a major step toward personalized precision medicine for patients with intractable cancers.

To facilitate the introduction of the heavy ion therapy system, Asan Medical Center signed an agreement on Monday, April 7 with consortium consisting of Toshiba ESS and DK Medical Solutions, launching full-scale preparations with the goal of beginning operations by 2031

By introducing a cutting-edge heavy ion therapy system capable of utilizing multi-ion beams and providing precision-targeted treatment based on CT imaging, Asan Medical Center expects to offer more diverse treatment opportunities to a greater number of cancer patients.

Asan Medical Center plans to build the largest heavy ion therapy facility in South Korea on its Pungnap-dong campus in Songpa District, with a total floor area of 40,880㎡. The facility will include two rotating gantry treatment systems and one fixed beam treatment system, aiming to create a cutting-edge treatment environment and improve the convenience and comfort of care for cancer patients.

The heavy ion therapy system at Asan Medical Center is expected to become an optimal treatment option for patients with hard-to-treat cancers, as it can be applied not only to prostate, pancreatic, and liver cancers, but also to cancers resistant to conventional treatments such as lung cancer, sarcoma, kidney cancer, and recurrent cancers.

Heavy ion therapy system is an advanced treatment technology that uses heavy particles like carbon ions to eliminate cancer cells with greater precision and intensity. By directing high-energy ion beams to cancer cells, the therapy minimizes damage to healthy tissue while concentrating its effects on the cancer itself.

Asan Medical Center will not only be equipped with top-tier heavy ion therapy equipment, but also plans to introduce a system with a broader beam coverage and higher dose rate compared to conventional machines. With the ability to treat a wider area in a shorter period of time, treatment durations will be reduced, thereby lessening the burden on patients.

In addition, Asan Medical Center plans to adopt a next-generation multi-ion source that utilizes not only carbon ions, but also helium, neon, and oxygen ions. This will help minimize damage to healthy tissue, effectively target treatment-resistant tumors, and potentially allow application to pediatric cancers.

By applying an image-guided system using CT equipment, Asan Medical Center aims to implement a differentiated system that can accurately reflect changes in tumor size or position during treatment, enabling highly precise, personalized cancer care.

President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center stated “With the launch of our heavy ion therapy system in 2031, Asan Medical Center will have the largest and most advanced cancer treatment facility in South Korea. We will do our utmost to expand treatment opportunities for patients with intractable cancers and contribute to advancing the standard of cancer care in South Korea.”

Meanwhile, Asan Medical Center treats over 1.1 million cancer patients annually and performs approximately 20,000 cancer surgeries each year. One out of every eight cancer patients in South Korea receives treatment at Asan Medical Center. Its excellence as a global cancer institute has also been recognized internationally, with AMC Cancer Institute ranked 5th in the world for oncology in the World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2025 rankings by Newsweek, a U.S. weekly news magazine.

During the planning process for introducing heavy ion therapy, Asan Medical Center received proposals and interests from various institutions and local governments. However, Asan Medical Center ultimately decided to build the facility on its Pungnap-dong campus, considering the broader development of the local community, including patient convenience and medical research integrated with clinical care.