China’s 1st BNCT Center launches in Bo’ao

By Ding Xin / hicn.cn / Updated: 17:15,27-September-2022

On September 25, a groundbreaking ceremony for the BNCT (boron neutron) Cancer Treatment Center was held in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone (also known as Boao Hope City), one of the key industrial parks in China’s Hainan Province. This will be the first domestic BNCT commercial application in Lecheng.

The groundbreaking ceremony. Photo / Su Guichu

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is a fifth-generation radiotherapy technology which is emerging as a hopeful tool in treating cancer. BCNT selectively concentrates boron compounds in tumour cells and then subjects them to epithermal neutron beam radiation.

During treatment, a boron-containing compound is injected, and then the patient is put under a thermal neutron beam for 30 minutes. The combination of neutron and boron entering the cancer cell produces a physical reaction, releasing an extremely lethal ray that blasts through cancer cells.

The project is invested by China Biotech Services Holdings Limited, which brought in Japan’s Sumitomo Heavy Industries and the  pharmaceutical company Stella Pharma. On June 23, China Biotech Services signed a purchase agreement with Sumitomo  and Stella Pharma, officially incorporating boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), the world's only approved international cancer treatment technology on the market, and bringing this new, innovative cancer treatment option to Boao Lecheng.

Artistic rendering of the planned BNCT  Cancer Treatment Centre . Photo / Su Guichu

The total construction area of the Center is about 14,000 square meters, which is divided into five above-ground floors and one underground floor. The planned investment totals RMB 500 million. The Center will be operated in cooperation with top hospitals and employ a team of Chinese and Japanese oncology radiotherapy experts. Basic construction and equipment installation is expected to be completed in 2023, and the Center is scheduled to begin treating patients in 2024.

This is not only the first commercial application of BNCT in China, but also means that China's medical device field is keeping up with the latest international medical technology breakthroughs, and continues to make strides in tumor and cancer prevention and treatment in China.

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