ABSTRACT
The primary principle of radiotherapy (RT) lies in precise dose localization in the target with minimizing damage to the surrounding normal tissues. This is particularly so when we note the fact that the photon energy on the order of megavoltage (MV) contributed significantly to the improvement of treatment outcome. High-precision RT, such as intensity-modulated photon RT (IMRT) and stereotactic body RT (SBRT), was developed in the late twentieth century. At around the same time, charged particle RT such as proton beam therapy (PBT) and carbon-ion RT (CIRT) progressed rapidly, which consequently improved the efficacy of RT. Coupled with the opportunity for substantially abbreviated treatment of common cancer, updated experiences have shown that CIRT offered superior results in: bone and soft-tissue sarcomas; histologically non-SCC type of tumours; locally advanced or early stage tumours; metastatic or recurrent tumours; and those tumours which could benefit from achieving definite local control.
