Cancer Areas Reviewed by Korean Particle Therapy Centers
Korean particle therapy centers review different cancer areas depending on therapy type, hospital scope, and each patient’s clinical condition.
Korea currently has both carbon-ion therapy and proton therapy centers. However, each center has a different clinical scope, treatment policy, and case review process.
For patients and referring physicians, the first step is to understand whether the cancer type appears within a listed, reported, or potentially relevant treatment area. The next step is hospital review of the individual case.
A cancer type appearing in the table below does not mean that treatment is automatically available.
Hospital-by-Hospital Cancer Area Snapshot
Cancer Area | Yonsei Severance Carbon-ion | Samsung Medical Center Proton | National Cancer Center Proton |
Prostate cancer | ● | ● | ● |
Liver cancer / HCC | ● | ● | ● |
Pancreatic cancer | ● | ● | ● |
Lung cancer | ● | ● | ● |
Brain tumors | – | ● | ● |
Head & neck cancer | △ | ● | ● |
Esophageal cancer | – | ● | ● |
Breast cancer | – | ● | ○ |
Cervical cancer | – | – | ● |
Pediatric tumors | – | ● | ● |
Recurrent / retreatment cases | – | ● | ● |
Sarcoma, bone / soft tissue | △ | ● | – |
Ocular tumors | – | – | ● |
Chordoma / craniospinal irradiation | – | – | ● |
Trachea / airway cancers | – | ● | – |
Stomach / gastric cancer | – | ● | – |
Symbol Guide
Symbol | Meaning |
● | Listed or reported as a current clinical area |
○ | Mentioned as applicable or guideline-related; case-by-case review required |
△ | Reported as an expansion area or potentially relevant in selected cases, but not presented here as routine current clinical use |
– | Not clearly listed in the reviewed public sources |
Yonsei Severance Hospital’s carbon-ion therapy has been reported for prostate, liver, pancreatic, and lung cancers. Head and neck cancers and bone sarcomas have been described as expansion areas, so they are marked as △ rather than ● in this table.
This table is intended as a starting point only.
Actual eligibility depends on each hospital’s review of the individual case. Key review factors may include disease stage, prior treatment history, prior radiation records, tumor location, nearby critical organs, recent imaging files, and the patient’s general condition.
Clinical referral considerations may include unresectable tumors, local recurrence, re-irradiation situations, selected oligometastatic disease, and tumors located close to organs at risk.
For international patients, the practical question is not simply whether a cancer type appears in a table, but whether a Korean particle therapy center can review the case and whether consultation or treatment may be clinically appropriate.
APIS helps coordinate communication and document submission to Korean hospitals for selected international cases.
Final treatment decisions are determined solely by the treating hospitals and physicians.
