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Groundbreaking ceremonies for the state鈥檚 first proton beam cancer treatment facility were held this morning on the campus of Shands Jacksonville medical center, the first step toward major advances in cancer treatment in Florida.

Construction on the long-anticipated project is slated to begin in April. Once complete, the facility is expected to attract more than 2,000 cancer patients a year who are ideally suited for proton beam therapy, which capitalizes on the window of opportunity between the time a tumor forms and the point when it spreads. The innovative treatment involves delivering tightly focused doses of electrically charged particles called protons to destroy tumors, with little or no damage to adjacent healthy tissues.

The method is especially effective for tumors in children and cancers of the prostate, brain, eyes, and head and neck, and has the potential to increase cure rates while reducing complications, experts say.

鈥淭he proton beam cancer treatment facility will be a remarkable addition to the University of Florida complement of cutting-edge medical services,鈥� UF President Charles E. Young, Ph.D., said. 鈥淭he facility and its capabilities also help UF fulfill an obligation that we take very seriously 鈥� providing service to the entire state of Florida. The treatment facility also falls directly in line with the recently adopted strategic plan for the University of Florida, which, as one of its priorities, is to focus on programs in the study and treatment of cancer.

鈥淐ancer, with all of its debilitating and deadly effects, remains as one of the world鈥檚 most threatening diseases,鈥� Young added. 鈥淭he University of Florida is proud and honored to be able to undertake and partner with any means to eradicate this horrific malady.鈥�

The proton beam facility will be staffed by UF radiation oncologists and a 115-member support team, and is expected to become a centerpiece of the UF Shands Cancer Center, which encompasses advanced patient-care, education and research programs at the Gainesville and Jacksonville campuses. Project costs are estimated to total nearly $92 million.

鈥淏ecause proton beam therapy represents a major advancement over conventional radiation therapy in terms of cure rates for a host of cancers and better quality of life, i.e., for patients in whom radiation is used as palliative therapy, it is clearly worth the investment,鈥� C. Craig Tisher, M.D., dean of UF鈥檚 College of Medicine and the project鈥檚 director, said before the ceremony. 鈥淎fter all, human life is priceless.鈥�

The uniqueness of the proton beam facility offers the opportunity for the University of Florida and Shands Jacksonville to attract researchers 鈥� and research dollars 鈥� to the area, officials said. Proximity of the University of Florida, the Jacksonville airport, and the presence of other industry offer added benefits for new research and development. The proton beam project also complements the northside development plan for Jacksonville, which targets the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries.

鈥淣ot only will our residents benefit from convenient access to state-of-the-art cancer treatment, but the influx of patients from around the nation will benefit our local businesses as well,鈥� said City of Jacksonville Mayor John A. Delaney prior to the groundbreaking. 鈥淪ubsequently, the arrival of this technology will generate high-paying jobs and economic growth in similar biotechnical, research and pharmaceutical industries.鈥�

In the United States, proton beam therapy has been most extensively applied to cancer patients at Loma Linda University Medical Center in Loma Linda, Calif., where physicians report they have completed more than 120,000 treatment sessions during the past 12 years with a perfect safety record.

鈥淧rotons deposit most of their energy at the end of their desired path 鈥� releasing very little energy in front of the tumor or beyond it,鈥� said Nancy Mendenhall, a professor and chairwoman of radiation oncology at UF鈥檚 College of Medicine, where she also is the Rodney R. Million, M.D., professor of radiation oncology. 鈥淭he dose distribution from proton beams can be shaped to conform three-dimensionally to the size and shape of the tumor, and to avoid normal structures.鈥�

That makes it possible to deliver high doses of radiation to the target site without damaging healthy tissues, she said. The facility will offer what many agree is the best therapy available today for select patients with localized tumors.

Jacksonville City Council officials approved a $19 million bond issue this past fall to help fund the project. Another bond issue will finance technology and start-up costs totaling about $62 million. The funding will supplement $11 million in legislative appropriations earmarked for construction.

Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, a Boston-based architectural and engineering firm, designed the three-story facility. Perry-McCall Construction Co., of Jacksonville, first will build the portions of the building that will contain the proton beam generator and the treatment area. The facility will be situated on 3.7 acres on the UF/Shands Jacksonville campus.

Belgian-based Ion Beam Applications, S.A., a world leader in the manufacture of proton beam systems, will then install the proton beam equipment while the building is finished. IBA has been an active supporter of the proton beam cancer treatment center, supplying the technological expertise and equipment 鈥� the only of its kind with commercial authorization in both Europe and the United States 鈥� and providing assistance in the center鈥檚 financing effort. Construction will likely end by November 2004, with all equipment to be installed by December 2005. Florida Proton Therapy Institute, a private not-for-profit corporation, will work with the UF College of Medicine to operate the facility.

鈥淧rotons would have been useful for only a few tumors in the 1970s and 1980s because we just couldn鈥檛 define them well enough with the imaging tools of those days,鈥� said Mendenhall, who will serve as the facility鈥檚 first medical director. 鈥淣ow we also have the ability to localize these cancers when a patient is on a radiation treatment table and to immobilize the patient so that there鈥檚 little or no body motion.鈥�

Respiration moves the diaphragm up and down several centimeters, enough to potentially move a lung tumor in and out of the treatment field, requiring physicians to target radiation to a wide margin of healthy tissue around the tumor.

鈥淲e are working on radiation beam gaiting now,鈥� Mendenhall said. 鈥淚f you can gait the radiation beam to only turn on when the patient is breathing in or exhaling, and you don鈥檛 have to account for organ motion, you can use much tighter margins, and higher radiation doses. We therefore expect both higher cure rates and less radiation toxicity.鈥�

UF scientists also plan a variety of proton beam-related research projects, some cancer-related, and others focused on innovative uses of protons in the treatment of other, nonmalignant disorders. In addition, NASA has expressed interest in studying the impact of protons on certain inert materials. Other biomedical researchers will examine the impact of radiation on cell death and cell recovery, and the effect of low doses of protons on living materials such as plants.