NPC deputy says treatments can better target cancers, with fewer side effects

Nuclear medicine has big potential in cancer treatment and needs to be further promoted, a senior nuclear industry official said.

Dong Baotong, vice-chairman of the China Atomic Energy Authority and also a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress, said that nuclear physics and technologies have been playing important roles at medical colleges and hospitals. Compared with commonly used medical approaches, interventional nuclear treatments such as brachytherapy and radionuclide therapy are better at targeting tumor cells, have fewer side effects and higher effectiveness, and can function faster.

"For example, one recent cutting-edge therapy－boron neutron capture therapy－is able to handle cancers that are difficult to treat with traditional methods," Dong said, explaining that the therapy can irradiate larger volumes of organs and tissues and precisely suppress isolated tumor cells.

"It's like a combat drone in 'targeted killing' tasks as it can destroy cancer cells without bringing massive damage to patient's normal cells and immunity."

Huo Li, head of Peking Union Medical College Hospital's department of nuclear medicine, said boron neutron capture therapy has proved to be a promising treatment for several types of malignant tumors but Chinese patients now have difficulties accessing it.

"There are several reasons: there is no domestic producer of the tumor-localizing drug administered to patients; the neutron generators were too large to be used at hospitals; and regulatory issues about the therapy are still being discussed," she said.

Dong said the government is determined to foster nuclear medicine and started by issuing a long-term development plan for the radionuclide industry in June.

The plan was jointly made by Dong's agency and seven other central departments including the ministries of science and technology, public security and transport.

"The plan stipulates that our country must establish a stable, independent supply chain of radionuclide products for medical services," Dong said.

"It also requests that researchers shall be focused on key technologies."

He said the construction of one to two reactors to produce radionuclides is listed in the plan.

Speaking about China's nuclear power technology, Dong said the country is leading the world in the research and development of fourth-generation reactors and nuclear fusion technologies.

In late December, the world's first industrial-scale demonstration plant of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with pebble-bed module, the No 1 reactor of the Shidaowan nuclear power plant in Shandong province, started to be connected to the grid and put into operation.

With the reactor in use, China now leads the world in high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology, Dong said, which will improve the competitiveness of the country's nuclear power industry in the international market.