MIAMI, FLA. (March 15, 2018) — Miami Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida and the state’s only member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance, proudly announced today that it has officially opened South Florida’s first state-of-the-art Proton Therapy Center and is currently treating patients. Proton therapy is the latest addition to Miami Cancer Institute’s comprehensive radiation oncology program – the only cancer center in the world to offer each of the latest radiation therapies in one place.

Proton therapy is one of the most advanced methods of radiation oncology available today due to its unique ability to allow radiation treatment doses to be delivered to cancerous tumors while minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissues and organs, ultimately resulting in the potential for fewer short and long-term side effects for patients. Proton therapy is particularly effective in treating childhood cancers and adults diagnosed with cancers of the brain, head and neck, spine, lung, esophagus, liver, prostate, and certain left-sided breast cancers.

“We’re delighted to unveil our Proton Therapy Center and to have successfully treated our first patients, many of whom are adults and children diagnosed with aggressive cancer types that benefit most from proton therapy,” said Minesh Mehta, M.D., Deputy Director and Chief of Radiation Oncology at Miami Cancer Institute. “As one of the most innovative treatment modalities available, proton therapy promises numerous advantages for patients and further positions the Institute’s radiation oncology program at the leading-edge of cancer treatment and care both locally and internationally.”

Offering one of the most advanced forms of pencil beam scanning (PBS) technology, Miami Cancer Institute’s Proton Therapy Center features three, gantry-based treatment rooms equipped with the latest generation proton therapy delivery platform by leading provider, IBA. Using PBS technology in conjunction with innovative volumetric and surface imaging technologies, the Institute’s Proton Therapy Center is able to maximize the delivery precision and accuracy of Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT) treatments to patients. Miami Cancer Institute’s Proton Therapy Center is the first and only center in the United States to bring each of these advances together, making this highly sophisticated cancer care easily accessible to patients in South Florida, as well as those in neighboring regions including Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The launch of our Proton Therapy Center is just one more example of how our Institute is delivering on its promise of cutting-edge technology and treatment offerings for patients in South Florida and beyond,” said Michael J. Zinner, Founding CEO and Executive Medical Director at Miami Cancer Institute. “We are one of only a few cancer facilities in the world to provide patients with this this level of advanced radiation therapy, and I couldn’t be prouder of the hard work and dedication of our staff in delivering this center to our community.”

Miami Cancer Institute’s Proton Therapy Center features a robust roster of nationally and internationally recognized physicians and scientists with more than 25 years of proton therapy experience. In addition to proton therapy, Miami Cancer Institute’s radiation oncology program features TrueBeam Linear Accelerators, TomoTherapy, CyberKnife, Gamma Knife, ViewRay MRIdian MR Linac (one of only five sites in the United States to have this technology), and brachytherapy.

To learn more about proton therapy at Miami Cancer Institute, please visit MiamiCancerInstitute.com.

# # #

About Miami Cancer Institute

Developed by Baptist Health South Florida, Miami Cancer Institute is a destination cancer center known for its leading clinical care, compassionate patient experience, advanced clinical research and state-of-the-art technology – including the first proton therapy center in South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the world’s only comprehensive radiation oncology program offering each of the latest radiation therapies in one place. The Institute offers a robust roster of prominent physicians established in the community, in addition to renowned cancer experts, clinical researchers and genomic scientists recruited from the nation’s top cancer centers. As Florida’s only member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, Miami Cancer Institute is part of a dynamic and forward-thinking collaboration that affords patients access to innovative cancer treatments and the MSK standard of care right here at home. Miami Cancer Institute is being heralded nationally as one of the new “hybrid” cancer centers of the future, combining well-established, high-quality community-based cancer care with the best of an academic cancer center, subspecialty-trained surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists who are national experts and innovators in their fields. For more information, visit MiamiCancerInstitute.com.

Miami Cancer Institute is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with eight hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Fisherman’s Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital), nearly 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network and internationally renowned centers of excellence. A not-for-profit organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has approximately 16,000 employees and 2,300 affiliated physicians. Baptist Health South Florida has been recognized by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net and connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/BaptistHealthSF and on Twitter and Instagram @BaptistHealthSF.