Proton therapy offers new hope for cancer patients in Southwest Florida

Southwest Florida is now home to a groundbreaking cancer treatment option: proton therapy, a highly advanced form of radiation therapy.

This innovative treatment is now being delivered to patients with prostate, breast, and other types of cancer. It is available at Southwest Florida Proton, the first proton center to open on Florida's west coast and one of only 48 centers of its kind nationwide.

WINK News got a tour of the 42,000-square-foot complex and got to see inside the proton therapy chamber, showcasing the advanced ProteusONE system. The Belgian-made machine is renowned for its effectiveness in targeting cancer cells precisely, reducing side effects.

Dr. Arie Dosoretz, CEO of Southwest Florida Proton and Advocate Radiation Oncology, explained how it works.

"It deposits a dose where you want it to go to, and stops right there, so it doesn't come out the other side," said Dr. Dosoretz. "It doesn't go left or right, up or down, near or far away from that target. And so by doing that, you're able to deposit very high doses of radiation into tumors that are cancer and minimize, if not completely, spare surrounding tissue that doesn't need to be exposed to radiation."

Dr. Dosoretz emphasized the impact of this precision.

"What that means for the patient is that you more effectively treat and cure their cancers, and just as importantly, you don't give them side effects they don't need," he said.

Proton therapy is considered the best standard of care for some of the most serious types of cancer, including pediatric malignancies, curable brain tumors, tumors of the skull base and spine, eye tumors, breast, esophageal, head and neck, liver, lung, prostate, lymphomas and sarcomas.

The introduction of proton therapy in Southwest Florida brings cutting-edge cancer treatment options to residents without the need to travel far from home.