Shannon Ruetz rang the bell on Friday, July 31, at Moffitt Cancer Center's proton therapy center in Land O' Lakes, becoming the first patient to complete a full course of treatment at Tampa Bay's only proton therapy facility, the Tampa Bay Beacons reported.
It took just days.
Ruetz, a breast cancer patient diagnosed in February, needed proton therapy because her tumor sat near her heart and lungs. The treatment delivers radiation in a tighter beam than standard radiation, sparing more surrounding healthy tissue.
The milestone came shortly after the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation Proton Center officially began treating patients on Monday, July 27, at Speros, Moffitt's 775-acre research campus off Wilton Way. A ribbon-cutting ceremony had been held Thursday, July 23.
Before the Land O' Lakes center opened, the nearest proton therapy options for Tampa Bay-area patients were in Orlando and Jacksonville.
The center holds personal significance for Dr. Kosj Yamoah, chair of Moffitt's Radiation Oncology Department, whose young son died of a rare brain cancer after the family traveled across the country for proton therapy. "To feel like you've lost your support system or structure. You have to be uprooted from where you are and the people that love you the most, to go to get the best care can be very disruptive," Yamoah said in a July 17 Tampa Bay 28 report, explaining why bringing proton therapy to Land O' Lakes was a personal mission.
The facility uses the ProteusONE system, supplied by Belgium-based IBA, which delivers radiation with submillimeter precision using pencil beam scanning technology and a rotating gantry that can target tumors from multiple angles. A $15 million gift from Best Buy founder Dick Schulze and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation funded the center, according to a Moffitt press release.
At the July 23 ribbon-cutting, Moffitt President and CEO Dr. Patrick Hwu called the opening "a momentous time for our patients," adding that the unit would allow Moffitt to cure more patients with less toxicity across the Tampa Bay region and beyond, as reported by the Hernando Sun.
Moffitt is one of 58 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and the only one headquartered in Florida. Researchers at Speros plan to explore combining proton therapy with immunotherapy to help the immune system better recognize and fight cancer.
The next major milestone at the campus is the opening of the 250,000-square-foot Moffitt Discovery and Innovation Center, scheduled for October.
Upcoming community event
Moffitt is hosting a free breast cancer risk workshop on Friday, Aug. 28, at 10:30 a.m. at the One Stop Shop, 15029 14th St. in Dade City. Staff will offer mammogram vouchers to qualifying participants. Register at mypas.co/PreventionKitchen or call 352-518-0156.
