Clinical trials using carbon ions begin at CNAO

On November 13th, for the first time at the Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica [CNAO], a hadrontherapy centre in Italy, a beam of carbon ions was used to treat a cancer patient. The patient, affected by a salivary gland carcinoma, successfully completed the therapy last week, and three new patients are now enrolled in the framework of clinical trials approved by the Italian Health Ministry.

The CNAO is a clinical facility created and financed by the Italian Ministry of Health and conceived to supply…