Proton Therapy in China 2026: Cost, Centres and Who Qualifies

The Short Answer

Proton therapy in China runs USD 35,000–75,000 all-in for a typical 6-week course at one of six operational centres, compared with USD 120,000–250,000 in the US. Proton therapy is not uniformly better than modern photon (IMRT / VMAT) radiation — for most adult cancers, evidence shows equivalent tumour control and the toxicity advantage is incremental, not transformative. It is most clearly preferred for paediatric cancers, base-of-skull and spinal cord-adjacent tumours, ocular melanoma and selected re-irradiation cases.

Operational Centres in 2026

• Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Centre (上海市质子重离子医院) — China's flagship, dual proton + carbon-ion capacity, Siemens technology. Largest treated-patient cohort in mainland China.
• Hefei Centre for Heavy Ion Medical Machine — research and select clinical access.
• Wanjie Cancer Hospital (Shandong) — proton centre operational since 2004 (Shandong).
• Hwa Mei Proton Centre (Hangzhou) — IBA proton facility, fully operational.
• Beijing-Hebei region proton centres — multiple facilities phasing in commercial treatment 2024–2026.
• Guangzhou and Shenzhen sites — under commissioning.

What's Included in the All-In Price

• CT / MRI simulation and treatment planning.
• Plan QA and physics review.
• 5 days/week of treatment (typically 25–35 fractions over 6–8 weeks).
• Weekly clinical review during treatment.
• Acute-toxicity management.
• End-of-treatment summary plus 3-month and 12-month surveillance imaging coordination.

Excluded: international travel, in-country accommodation (~USD 60–120/night for 6–8 weeks), home-country oncologist coordination, systemic therapy if combined.

Indications Where Proton Has Strongest Evidence

• Paediatric cancers — most clearly preferred; reduced second-cancer and growth/cognitive risk.
• Base-of-skull / spinal tumours — chordoma, chondrosarcoma; sparing of brainstem and cord.
• Ocular melanoma — preserves vision in selected cases.
• Re-irradiation — limits cumulative dose to previously irradiated tissue.
• Selected hepatocellular carcinoma — when liver function spares photon options.

Indications Where Photon and Proton Are Roughly Equivalent

• Most prostate cancer (proton offers small toxicity advantage; survival equivalent).
• Most early-stage breast cancer.
• Most non-small-cell lung cancer (RTOG 1308 showed equivalence).
• Standard glioblastoma.

For these indications, a modern photon plan with VMAT or proton's photon counterpart (intensity-modulated proton therapy) yields similar tumour control. The decision should be a treatment-planning comparison, not a marketing pitch.

How to Decide

The right workflow is a plan comparison: your case is planned twice — once with optimal photon (VMAT or IMRT) and once with proton — and the dose distributions to organs-at-risk are compared side-by-side. If the proton advantage is clinically meaningful, proceed. If not, photon is the appropriate choice (and is also available at lower cost in China). Class A radiation oncologists at proton centres will run this comparison on request.

For a written quote comparing proton and photon at two Class A centres, start with the quote wizard. For destination-specific costs, see proton therapy: China vs United States cost and our proton therapy page.

Sources: Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG) facility list 2026; Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Centre published treatment volume; RTOG 1308 trial results; ASTRO model policy on proton therapy.