Lanzhou, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China has successfully carried out a medical procedure to treat malignant tumors using a heavy ion beam.

    The new heavy ion beam radiotherapy procedure for malignant tumors was carried out by the General Hospital of Lanzhou Command of the People's Liberation Army and the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IMPCAS).

    From Nov. 6 to 16, the two partners treated four patients using a heavy ion beam. After a month, the size of the patients' tumors had shrunk by 60 to 80 percent on average.

    The four patients have tumors in their nose, breast, lung and abdomen respectively.

    "In the new therapy, the heavy ion beam targets the tumor directly. This technique damages less normal tissue than traditional surgical procedures and has fewer side effects," said Li Sha, the doctor in charge of the radiotherapy.

    Li predicted that the four patients' tumors would disappear in one to two months.

    "The success of these clinical tests shows that China's cancer technology has reached an internationally advanced level," said Zhang Hongsheng, an IMPCAS researcher.

    "Currently, only the United States, Germany and Japan have the heavy ion beam technology, which is recognized as an advanced radiotherapy for the treatment of malignant tumors," Zhang said.