Heavy particle radiation therapy is one of the most advanced medical treatments worldwide for malignant solid tumors. It is used to treat more than a dozen types of malignant tumors, including head and neck tumors, lung cancer, liver cancer, prostate cancer, and rectal cancer, as well as oral tumors and brain tumors that cannot be surgically treated and cancer cells resistant to X-rays. 

Statistics show that patients with malignant tumors undergoing heavy particle (carbon ion) therapy have a 5-year survival rate of 80-97%. This therapy uses charged particles, such as carbon ions, to target and destroy cancer cells. Unlike traditional radiation therapy using X-rays or protons, heavy ion therapy can deliver potent radiation directly to the tumor site with greater precision, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Carbon ions are high LET (linear energy transfer) rays, with about 70% of the damage occurring in the Bragg peak region being DNA double-strand breaks, which cannot be repaired. This results in a stronger biological effect in killing tumors, 2 to 3 times that of photons and protons, with a relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 2-3. When carbon ions reach the tumor site, they release almost all their energy immediately, effectively killing tumor cells without damaging the surrounding normal tissue. Since heavy particle therapy does not involve surgical incisions, the treatment process is painless and takes about 30-60 minutes.

Heavy particle radiation therapy not only requires particle accelerator nuclear facilities but also a highly experienced medical physics team and various medications. In many countries, this therapy is highly inaccessible and in the experimental stage.