ESTERO, Fla. - s4story -- Belgium-based Ion Beams Applications (IBA) recently presented Southwest Florida Proton with an international award of distinction for expediting its timeline from equipment delivery to the first patient treatment.

At a VIP Reception on Jan. 29, IBA presented the center's leadership team with trophies recognizing a world record in proton therapy. It took Southwest Florida Proton just 21 days from the time IBA engineers officially handed over control of the ProteusONE system on Dec. 8 until the center's medical team delivered its first proton treatment to a local man with prostate cancer on Dec. 29.

"It was symbolically very important to begin treating in 2025," said Dr. Arie Dosoretz, CEO and managing partner of Southwest Florida Proton. "The credit should go to our entire team. We have remarkably dedicated experts who allow us to operate with unrivaled efficiency. We take great pride in delivering on our promise to this community"

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Southwest Florida Proton is the first proton center on Florida's west coast. Previously, cancer patients had to drive at least two hours each way to the nearest proton center.

IBA Operations Director Daniel Harmer presented awards to Dosoretz; Dr. Shannon MacDonald, senior medical director; Dr. Todd Pezzi, associate medical director; and Mark Artz, Ph.D., senior director of proton medical physics. Artz was largely responsible for partnering with IBA engineers on the final testing and calibration of the ProteusONE system, a state-of-the-art platform regarded as one of the most innovative and effective proton therapy technologies available worldwide.

IBA, recognized globally for its innovations in particle accelerator technology, is the leading supplier of equipment and services in the fields of proton therapy, industrial sterilization, radiopharmaceuticals and dosimetry. The company employs 2,100 worldwide, has sold more than 700 accelerators and its machines are used to treat patients in 40 countries over five continents.

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Physicians often recommend proton therapy for pediatric malignancies, curable brain tumors, tumors of the skull base and spine, eye tumors, and select patients with breast, esophageal, head and neck, liver, lung, prostate, lymphoma and sarcoma cancers. A highly advanced form of radiation therapy, proton therapy uses charged proton particles to destroy cancer cells with exceptional precision, typically resulting in fewer side effects and less radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.

"Proton therapy is a powerful modality that was missing in our health care ecosystem," Dosoretz said. "Our region was already on the map, but this firmly plants our flag in the ground and says Southwest Florida offers world-class cancer care."

Southwest Florida Proton, located at 9961 Estero Oaks Drive in Estero, operates within a 42,000-square-foot medical complex that also includes a traditional radiation practice operated by Advocate Radiation Oncology and a diagnostic imaging center managed by Lee Health.