Since 2006, UF Health Jacksonville cancer patients have had access to the most advanced radiation treatment to beat cancer — without having to travel out of town. In its first 15 years of operation, the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville cared for more than 10,000 patients and treated over 20 types of cancer. Today, the treatment numbers continue to grow.

Proton therapy: How it works

Proton therapy has transformed cancer care. It is an advanced, efficient form of radiation that uses charged protons, rather than X-rays. The state-of-the-art equipment used in proton therapy is able to deliver targeted beams of high-dose radiation directly to the tumor. Whereas X-rays blanket an entire area of the body, protons can be precisely controlled.

Video: How proton therapy works

Proton therapy: Benefits

• Considered the gold standard for treating many cancers, proton therapy improves cure rates for some of the most complex conditions with greater patient safety.
• Proton therapy spares healthy tissue surrounding your tumor by delivering targeted beams of high-dose radiation directly to the cancer.
• Unlike standard X-ray radiation, the precision of proton therapy dramatically decreases your risk of secondary cancers that form as a result of overexposure of healthy organs and tissue to radiation.
• With less side effects from radiation overdose — such as fatigue, nausea, rashes, dry mouth and swelling — you enjoy a higher quality of life during and after treatment.

Proton therapy: Cancers we treat

Our expert physicians and staff have been using proton therapy to successfully treat many types of cancers:

• Bone cancer
• Brain cancer
• Breast cancer
• Eye cancer
• Gastrointestinal cancers, including:
  • Colon and rectal cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Liver cancer
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Stomach cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Lung cancer
• Lymphoma cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Pediatric cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Sarcoma

Proton therapy: Our expertise

Experience

As the first and leading proton therapy facility in the Southeast, our specialists at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute have vast experience in using proton therapy. Successfully treating thousands of patients has also put our radiation oncology group at the forefront of developing treatment guidelines and established our institute as a world-class cancer treatment facility.

Many specialists, one goal

Radiation oncologists, radiation therapists and nurse case managers are part of the multidisciplinary teams dedicated to your care. They work together with other specialists to design an optimal treatment plan that will provide you the best possible outcomes. The institute also serves as a center for cancer research. Our specialists are committed to conducting clinical research to improve the effectiveness and availability of proton therapy.