{"entity":{"id":"qst-hospital","kind":"institution","name":"QST Hospital (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology)","aka":["NIRS Hospital","HIMAC","QST病院"],"tldr":"The world's first carbon-ion therapy hospital (HIMAC, 1994), which established the clinical evidence base for heavy-ion radiotherapy.","summary":"QST Hospital, formerly the National Institute of Radiological Sciences hospital, began treating patients with carbon ions at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) in 1994, the first dedicated medical heavy-ion facility. Over three decades it has treated more carbon-ion patients than any other centre, developed hypofractionated protocols for prostate, lung, liver, pancreatic, bone and soft-tissue sarcoma and head and neck tumours, and pioneered scanning beam delivery, respiratory gating and the rotating gantry now used in newer facilities. The institute leads Japan's quantum-scanning carbon-ion programme, radiopharmaceutical research including astatine-211 targeted alpha therapy, and international training for centres in Europe and Asia.","asOf":"2026-09-09","links":[{"label":"QST Hospital (page moved; nearest live section)","url":"https://www.qst.go.jp/"},{"label":"QST","url":"https://www.qst.go.jp/site/qst-english/"},{"label":"PTCOG: particle therapy facilities in operation","url":"https://www.ptcog.site/index.php/facilities-in-operation-public"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":["prostate","pancreatic","sarcoma","hcc","head-and-neck"],"sections":["radiation","radiopharma"],"technologies":["carbon-ion","targeted-alpha-therapy","carbon-ion-synchrotrons"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":["gunma-heavy-ion-medical-center"],"pathways":[],"terms":["alpha-vs-beta"],"trials":[],"people":["hitoshi-ishikawa"],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"city":"Chiba","country":"JP","lat":35.634,"lng":140.104,"institutionType":"research-institute","website":"https://www.qst.go.jp/","programs":["Carbon-ion therapy (HIMAC)","Compact carbon-ion technology","Astatine-211 alpha therapy","Radiation biology"]},"route":"/institutions/qst-hospital/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"head-and-neck","kind":"cancer","name":"Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/head-and-neck/"},{"id":"hcc","kind":"cancer","name":"Hepatocellular carcinoma","route":"/cancers/hcc/"},{"id":"pancreatic","kind":"cancer","name":"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/pancreatic/"},{"id":"prostate","kind":"cancer","name":"Prostate cancer","route":"/cancers/prostate/"},{"id":"sarcoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Sarcomas (soft tissue, bone, GIST)","route":"/cancers/sarcoma/"}],"section":[{"id":"radiation","kind":"section","name":"Radiation Therapy","route":"/fronts/radiation/"},{"id":"radiopharma","kind":"section","name":"Radiopharmaceuticals & Theranostics","route":"/fronts/radiopharma/"}],"technology":[{"id":"carbon-ion-synchrotrons","kind":"technology","name":"Carbon-ion synchrotrons and facilities","route":"/technologies/carbon-ion-synchrotrons/"},{"id":"carbon-ion","kind":"technology","name":"Carbon-ion therapy","route":"/technologies/carbon-ion/"},{"id":"targeted-alpha-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Targeted alpha therapy","route":"/technologies/targeted-alpha-therapy/"}],"institution":[{"id":"gunma-heavy-ion-medical-center","kind":"institution","name":"Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center","route":"/institutions/gunma-heavy-ion-medical-center/"}],"term":[{"id":"alpha-vs-beta","kind":"term","name":"Alpha vs beta emitters","route":"/terms/alpha-vs-beta/"}],"person":[{"id":"hitoshi-ishikawa","kind":"person","name":"Hitoshi Ishikawa","route":"/people/hitoshi-ishikawa/"}],"company":[{"id":"toshiba-energy-systems","kind":"company","name":"Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions","route":"/companies/toshiba-energy-systems/"}]}}