Next-Generation Proton Therapy in Florida: BayCare Now Treating Patients on the MEVION S250-FIT™ on the campus of St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa

BayCare becomes the second site in the country to offer Mevion's latest-generation proton therapy, four months after Stanford Medicine's first treatment.

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mevion Medical Systems, a global leader in compact proton therapy, today announced that BayCare Health System has begun treating patients on the MEVION S250-FIT™ Proton Therapy System in Tampa. BayCare is the first in Florida to deliver proton therapy from a standard LINAC-sized room and the second center in the world to treat patients on the platform.

The BayCare Proton Center is a $33 million investment that adds a new treatment vault to the Fred J. Woods Radiation Therapy Center on the campus of BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital. It offers proton therapy to adults and children and extends BayCare's accredited radiation oncology programs at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg and Winter Haven Hospital in Winter Haven.

"We have always believed that every health system should be able to offer proton therapy within its own radiation oncology service," said Tina Yu, PhD, President and CEO of Mevion Medical Systems. "BayCare shows it can be done. Its own team is treating patients from a LINAC-sized vault, and that is a model any health system can follow."

“Bringing proton therapy to BayCare reflects our commitment to expanding access to leading-edge cancer care for the communities we serve,” said BayCare President and CEO Stephanie Conners. “Patients who can benefit from this highly precise treatment now have another advanced option close to home, supported by the compassion, expertise and comprehensive cancer care they expect from BayCare.”

The MEVION S250-FIT is Mevion's latest-generation proton therapy platform. It combines Mevion's compact accelerator, fixed proton beam and HYPERSCAN® pencil beam scanning with Leo Cancer Care's Marie® 360-degree upright patient positioning system and integrated CT imaging and is powered by RaySearch^* Laboratories' RayStation® treatment planning system. Rotating the patient instead of the beam removes the need for a proton gantry, so the complete system fits in a standard LINAC-sized vault, the same kind of room that houses a conventional radiation therapy machine. Patients are treated seated, which improves comfort for many adults and children and makes treatment possible for those who cannot lie flat.

With an academic medical center and a regional health system now treating patients, and about a dozen more MEVION S250-FIT programs in installation or planning across the United States, Europe and Asia, FIT Proton Therapy in Your LINAC Vault® is becoming a reality for health systems of every size.

About Mevion Medical Systems

Mevion Medical Systems is a leading provider of compact proton therapy systems for cancer care. Dedicated to advancing the design and accessibility of proton therapy worldwide, Mevion pioneered the single-room platform and continues to further the science and application of proton therapy. Since 2013, Mevion compact proton therapy single-room systems have been used by leading cancer centers for treating patients. Mevion’s series of products includes the MEVION S250i® and MEVION S250-FIT™ with HYPERSCAN® pencil beam scanning. Mevion is headquartered in Littleton, Massachusetts, with a presence in Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit mevion.com.

About BayCare

BayCare is a leading not-for-profit academic health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16 hospitals, including a children's hospital, and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and West Central Florida regions. The system is West Central Florida's largest provider of cardiac, behavioral health and pediatric services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare HomeCare. BayCare also sponsors BayCarePlus®, a Medicare Advantage program. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it serves through community-owned healthcare services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit BayCare.org.

*RaySearch Products are subject to regulatory clearance in some markets.