QST Hospital Carbon Ion Therapy: Overseas Patients and Cost

Carbon ion therapy at QST Hospital means treatment at the hospital of the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) in Chiba, Japan. QST began treating patients in 1994 with HIMAC, the world's first carbon ion accelerator built for medical use, and 15,024 patients had received carbon ion therapy there by March 2023. For overseas patients without Japanese public health insurance, the published fee for carbon ion radiotherapy is 5.786 million yen (tax included). Since 2016, some conditions have also been covered by Japanese public insurance. Based on QST Hospital's English guidance, this article covers the application steps for overseas patients, the documents to bring to the first consultation, treatment periods by disease, the length of stay and the cost structure. If you would like to know whether your records qualify for QST Hospital, please contact us about eligibility and costs.

What kind of carbon ion cancer treatment center is QST Hospital?

QST Hospital, formerly the NIRS Hospital, is a hospital specializing in radiation medicine. It started clinical research and treatment in 1994 with HIMAC, the first carbon ion accelerator designed for medical use, making it the starting point of carbon ion cancer treatment in Japan. The number of patients treated under Advanced Medical Care has grown since 2003, and under public insurance since 2016.

The equipment has kept improving. Since 2011 the hospital has used 3D beam scanning with respiratory gating, and in 2018 it introduced a compact superconducting rotating gantry that can deliver beams from any direction, so patients can lie in a more comfortable position. Cumulative patient numbers by disease published by the hospital (June 1994 to March 2023):

Prostate cancer is the most common, and more than 1,100 patients have been treated for recurrence after previous radiotherapy. With this depth of experience, it can be worth requesting a review even if another hospital has said treatment is difficult. See What Is Carbon Ion Therapy? for the principles and Japanese Institutions for all Japanese centers.

How do overseas patients apply?

QST Hospital asks overseas patients without Japanese insurance to contact it through a registered guarantor, which is a medical coordinator or travel agency. Coordinator details are available by emailing the International Cooperative Division (kokusaiml@qst.go.jp) with your name and country of residence. The process is:

1. Inquiry through a coordinator: send your diagnosis and treatment history.
2. Preliminary review: QST physicians review your images and pathology to judge eligibility.
3. First consultation: you visit Japan to see the physician; if eligible, you hear the expected benefits and side effects and sign a consent form.
4. Treatment preparation: immobilization devices and a planning CT are made; the hospital cancer board reviews the plan.
5. Irradiation: given on weekdays for the planned number of sessions.
6. Follow-up after returning home: shared between QST Hospital and your home hospital.

One important point: QST Hospital has no in-house language service, so patients who have difficulty with Japanese must bring a professional medical interpreter. Coordinator and interpreter fees are separate from treatment costs. Compare other centers in 7 carbon ion therapy hospitals in Japan and Gunma University carbon ion therapy.

If you want help with coordinator contact, translation of imaging and pathology records and interpreting at the consultation, please contact us or call +82-2-517-5117. We review your records first and explain the steps.

What documents should you bring to the first consultation?

According to QST Hospital's treatment process guide, you bring a referral letter, CT and/or MRI results and a histology report. At the consultation, the physician may request additional CT, MRI or PET scans or access to your tissue specimen. A practical checklist:

• Referral letter from your physician: diagnosis, stage, history of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy
• Imaging CD: original CT, MRI and PET files (DICOM) with reports, preferably recent
• Biopsy or surgical pathology report, and tissue slides if requested
• Recent blood test results
• If you had radiotherapy before, the treated area and dose records
• Passport (reception takes a photo for identification)

Adding English or Japanese translations speeds up the review. Images must be original files, not photos of a screen, so that tumor size and distance to nearby organs can be measured. See the document checklist for details.

Which cancers are treated, and for how many weeks?

QST Hospital lists the lesions in the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology guidelines as main targets: skull base, head and neck, lung, liver, pancreas, prostate, bone and soft tissue, uterus, and metastases to lymph nodes, lung or liver. Other lesions may be considered where treatment is expected to benefit survival, local control or quality of life, including recurrence after radiotherapy and synchronous multiple cancers. Treatment periods published for overseas patients:

Periods may change, and the final decision is made by the physician after reviewing your records. The hospital currently does not accept overseas patients with breast or esophageal cancer, so for those cancers it is worth looking at other Japanese centers too. To check eligibility first, see Who is eligible for carbon ion therapy.

How should you plan your stay in Japan?

The irradiation period alone looks short, but the first consultation and preparation add time. Step by step, based on QST Hospital's guidance:

• Immobilization devices: a mask or body mold made from plastic that softens at about 50°C; takes 20 minutes to 1 hour, lying still for up to 30 minutes.
• Planning CT: 30 minutes to 1 hour in the devices. For organs that move with breathing, only the stable breathing phase is imaged, and treatment uses the same phase.
• Plan review: about 10 days pass between the planning CT and the first session. There is roughly 1 to 2 weeks of free time; you may go home if you return by the day before treatment starts.
• Irradiation: daily positioning takes 5 to 20 minutes; beam time ranges from under 1 minute to 10 minutes or more. No pain or heat is felt.
• After treatment: inpatients are discharged from the day after to several weeks after the last session, and the physician explains the follow-up schedule.

In practice, many patients make two trips: the first consultation, then a stay covering the treatment period. See Carbon ion therapy treatment period for sample schedules.

How is the cost of carbon ion therapy at QST Hospital structured?

Overseas patients without Japanese public insurance are treated as private patients. Fees published in QST Hospital's overseas patient guide (checked 1 November 2026; same as the QST page updated 27 May 2026):

Consultation and test fees are calculated by points, so they vary with the tests and whether you are admitted. When sending records to a coordinator, ask for a quote that separates these items to plan your total budget. Compare hospitals in Carbon ion therapy cost in Japan. Since application routes and costs differ between Japanese carbon ion centers, comparing two or three based on your records is a good approach.

Frequently asked questions

Can overseas patients receive carbon ion therapy at QST Hospital?

Yes. You apply through a registered medical coordinator or travel agency, and the physician decides eligibility after reviewing your records. Breast and esophageal cancer are currently not accepted from overseas patients.

How much does carbon ion therapy cost at QST Hospital?

For overseas patients without Japanese insurance, carbon ion radiotherapy costs 5.786 million yen (tax included). Hospitalization, consultations and tests are charged at 33 yen per point, and coordinator, interpreter and travel costs are extra.

Does the hospital provide interpreters?

No. If Japanese is difficult for you, you must bring a professional medical interpreter. An interpreter with medical experience is recommended so that explanations and consent forms are conveyed accurately.

Why choose QST Hospital among carbon ion cancer treatment centers?

Its strengths are experience with more than 15,000 patients since 1994 and its rotating gantry. The right center depends on your cancer type, schedule and budget.

Sources

• QST Hospital — Overseas Patient Consultations and Treatment (English)
• QST Hospital — Process of Carbon Ion Radiotherapy (English)
• QST Hospital — Features and Achievements (English)
• QST — Overseas patients page, updated 2026-05-27 (English)
• QST Hospital — Directions (English)

General information based on public sources; not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment. Eligibility is decided by the treating physicians. Written by the FTH editorial team.