The Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center has treated over 3,000 hospital patients, a new milestone since it was established some five years ago.

The center is the country’s first and the world’s third to use advanced forms of radiotherapy to treat cancer.

It uses beams of protons and heavy ions to kill cancerous tissue without harming healthy cells and tissue.

With the novel coronavirus pandemic waning in China, medical services at the center have restarted. It had finished its first 1,000 patients in 30 months, the second 1,000 in 18.5 months and 15.5 months for the third 1,000.

About 80 patients are treated every day.

“Compared with similar medical facilities in the world, both the daily patient quantity and total patient quantity in our center are in a leading position,” saidGuoXiaomao, president of the center.

Cancers of the brain, lung, liver, prostate andnasopharynxare the major five types targeted by the center. It also carried out clinical research on radiation for patients with pancreatic cancer. These cancers account for 64 percent of patients.

Patients at the center come from 31 provinces as well as HongKong, Macau, Taiwan and countries including the US, UK, France, South Korea, Burma and Singapore. Patients from the Yangtze River Delta region make up 60 percent.

Doctors prepare apatient for radiation therapy at the Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center.

Medical staff conduct radiation therapy on a patient.