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UF Health Expansion To Provide More Cancer Care

Photo courtesy of the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute via media contact Theresa Makrush
Photo courtesy of the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute via media contact Theresa Makrush

The University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute has begun an expansion and upgrades that will allow the institute to treat about 25 percent more patients.

The three-phase project, estimated to cost $39 million, was announced on Jan. 13 by the institute, located in Jacksonville.

The expansion and upgrades to software and equipment will allow the institute to treat more types of cancers, improve facility costs and provide more precise treatment methods, said Stuart Klein, the institute's executive director.

Proton therapy, a form of radiation used to treat certain types of cancer, can be more efficient than traditional X-ray radiation. X-ray radiation travels through the body like a bullet, going in one side and out the other, affecting both cancerous and healthy cells, said William Mendenhall, a radiation oncologist at the institute.

However, protons can stop on a dime, distributing more radiation to the cancerous cells and less to the rest of the body, Mendenhall said.

The first phase of the project, which includes the equipment and software upgrades, is set to be completed by June, Klein said.

The second phase, to be completed about 22 months from now, will begin the building expansion. This will add a fifth treatment room, which will provide therapy to more patients.

The final phase, to be completed by 2019, will include the installation of a pencil beam scanning nozzle to an existing treatment room. Pencil beam scanning is an advanced form of proton therapy used to treat complex tumor shapes, said Nancy Price Mendenhall, the institute's medical director.

The improvements are being funding in part by a $5.8 million allocation from the Florida Legislature, Klein said. An additional $20 million will come from money the institute has saved for the project, and the remaining $13 million will be supplied by a loan.

The institute, which began offering proton therapy in August 2006, was the first proton therapy facility in the southeastern United States, Klein said. There are now 20 facilities offering proton therapy in the U.S. but only one other operational facility in Florida.

The institute treats a broad range of cancers, including prostate, lung, breast, pancreatic, lymphoma, sarcoma, pediatric, brain, eye, bone, head and neck, Klein said. The upgrades will allow for treatments on esophageal cancer and a wider range of head, neck and pediatric cancers.

The upgrades and expansion are expected to also improve overall costs. The institute's treatments are customized to fit the needs of each patient, but the new equipment will reduce the amount of devices necessary to provide personalized therapy, Klein said. The new treatment room and reduced treatment time will allow more patients to be treated.

“When the project is completed, UF Health Proton Therapy Institute will have one of the most versatile proton therapy systems in the world,” Klein said.

The institute offers three types of proton treatments, which few facilities around the world offer, Klein said. It’s also the largest provider of pediatric proton therapy in the world, he said.

“The institute draws people from all over the world, because they know that they’re getting some of the best treatment out there,” said Gainesville resident Kelly Jones, an assistant principal at Fort Clarke Middle School who received proton therapy treatments in August 2012.

Jones said she beat the cancer but receives checkups every six months.

Dakota is a reporter for WUFT News and can be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.