QST Hospital

QST Hospital (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology), founded in 1961 and located in Chiba, Japan, is the world's pioneer and leading institution for heavy ion radiotherapy. It was the first hospital to conduct heavy ion therapy, beginning in 1994, and has accumulated the world's largest clinical experience with this advanced cancer treatment modality. With over 27 years of heavy ion therapy history, QST Hospital has treated more than 15,000 patients as of March 2024 — the highest number worldwide. Treatment outcomes consistently achieve approximately 80% five-year tumor control rates across multiple cancer types, with minimal side effects due to the hospital's experienced physicians' precise control of safe and effective radiation doses. The hospital is advancing the "Quantum Scalpel Project" to improve heavy ion therapy equipment performance while reducing its physical footprint. Research spans radiation biology, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diagnostic imaging, nuclear medicine, and radiotherapy technology. The Japanese government has designated QST as a National Center for Advanced Radiation Medical Support. Key innovations include the three-dimensional beam scanning irradiation method with respiratory gating (2011) and the world's first superconducting rotating gantry for heavy ion therapy (2018), enabling beam delivery from any angle. Cancers treatable with heavy ion therapy include lung cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, skull base tumors, head and neck cancers, ocular tumors, esophageal cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, post-operative recurrent colorectal cancer, bone and soft tissue tumors, metastatic tumors, breast cancer, and gynecological cancers.