日本有癌症放射醫療新装置

Recently the NHK News reported the following:
がんに当てる放射線をこれまでより１００倍ほど速く操り、肺といった呼吸で動く臓器でも、正確な治療ができる新しい装置が千葉市にある放射線医学総合研究所に完成し、ことし３月から臨床試験が始まることになりました。
放射線医学総合研究所では、新しい装置を披露する式典が行われ、関係者がテープにはさみを入れて完成を祝いました。新しい装置では、放射線をがん全体に一度に当てる従来の方法を改良し、直径およそ１センチに細くしたうえでペン先でなぞるように当てることで、がんの周りにある正常な細胞を傷つけるリスクが減りました。また、放射線を今ある最新の装置より１００倍ほど速く操り、肺といった呼吸で動く臓器にあるがんでも、息を吐き切ったわずかな瞬間に正確な治療ができるということです。放射線医学総合研究所の鎌田正センター長は「より正確で速いことで治療費も抑えられる。患者にとっては、がんの治療が気軽に受けられるようになる第一歩だ」と話しています。新しい装置は、ことし３月から臨床試験が始まる予定で、数年後には佐賀県や神奈川県にも導入されることになっています。
A new device that could apply radiation to the caner about 100 times faster than those available to-date, and could do accurate treatment even with the internal organs moving such as a breathing lung, was completed in the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Chiba City, clinical trials would be started in March this year.
National Institute of Radiological Sciences held the ceremony that announced the new device; the ceremony was completed by the cutting of the ribbon by parties concerned. The risk of damaging normal cells surrounding the cancer was decreased because the method used up to this moment that applied the radiation to the entire cancer had been improved, the new device could minimize the area to one centimeter in diameter and it could be used like a pen. Moreover, the radiation could be applied at about 100 times faster then devices so far available. Although the cancer was in the organ such as the lung that was moving, accurate treatment could be done in extremely short period of time when the lung was breathing air in and out. Kamadasei as the center head of the National Institute of Radiological Sciences said that ｢Accuracy and speed have reduced the therapy cost. It is a first step that this cancer treatment would be readily accepted by the patients｣. The new device was scheduled to start clinical trials in March this year, and was supposed to be introduced into Saga Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture in several years.

The invention of this new medical device is a good news to many cancer patients in Japan.