Dear colleagues,

Carbon ion therapy is a promising modality of cancer treatment. Since the public invitation of tenders for a national Austrian Proton and Carbon Ion Cancer Therapy Centre (the third one in Europe) started a few weeks ago, the MedAustron project (which has been prepared scientifically for 10 years) is finally going to be realized.

The National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), Japan, was the world’s first medically-dedicated carbon ion therapy centre, and has been in operation for more than 10 years. We believe that European—and especially Austrian—physicians and physicists could benefit from NIRS’s potentially valuable source of medical and physical knowledge and experience. This joint symposium will contribute to the exchange of ideas on indications and application modes, and help European physicians and physicists learn about the practical advantages of ion-beam therapy in special cancer entities. In addition to presentations by NIRS, there will be a presentation on the status of all European ion cancer centre projects under construction or in preparation, as well as discussion such current topics as optimum facilities designs. Finally, the satellite meeting on Sunday will focus on new avenues of physical equipment and treatment planning. This meeting should also enlighten colleagues from non-radiological disciplines of this promising approach in radiotherapy.

A major goal of this symposium is to intensify Japanese-Austrian collaboration, and to set the course for further joint initiatives in the future development of ion-beam therapy.

We are greatly looking forward to seeing all of you in Innsbruck.


Hirohiko Tsujii, NIRS
Thomas Auberger, Medical University of Innsbruck