Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor

FMBGN-Biz-Southwest Florida Proton Therapy-Therapy Revolution

• "Cabo" Jim Schaller • Season 5 • Episode 11

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A revolutionary cancer treatment has arrived in Southwest Florida, and it's changing the way we think about radiation therapy. Dr. Shannon MacDonald, a radiation oncologist with 18 years of experience at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, joins us to unveil the region's first proton therapy center and explain why this technology matters for cancer patients.

Proton therapy represents a significant advancement in radiation treatment. Unlike conventional radiation that passes through the body, proton beams can be precisely controlled to stop at the tumor site, dramatically reducing radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues. "It delivers less radiation to healthy organs and tissues that don't have cancer and is better at targeting just the cancer," Dr. MacDonald explains. This precision makes it particularly valuable for treating pediatric cancers and tumors located near sensitive organs.

The journey to bringing this technology to Southwest Florida hasn't been simple. The massive cyclotron required to generate proton beams necessitates extensive construction, funding, and months of testing. "When I speak to people in the area, the question I always get is 'when, when?'" Dr. McDonald shares. The good news? The center is expected to open by year's end, joining just 45 other such facilities nationwide. When Dr. McDonald began her career, there were only three proton centers in the entire country.

What makes Southwest Florida Proton truly special goes beyond its cutting-edge technology. "I wouldn't have come here just for a machine. I came here for the people," Dr. MacDonald emphasizes. The center combines advanced medical science with a compassionate approach in a beautiful, calming environment. For those wondering if proton therapy might be right for them or a loved one, Dr. MacDonald welcomes inquiries at smacdonald@swflproton.com.

Ready to learn more about this groundbreaking cancer treatment now available in our community? Listen to our full conversation with Dr. Shannon MacDonald and discover how proton therapy is bringing hope and healing to Southwest Florida.

Southwest Florida Proton Center
Shannon MacDonald, MD
9961 Estero Oaks Drive Fort Myers, FL, 33967
smacdonald@swflproton.com
swflproton.com

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor podcast, where the sun's always shining and the stories are even brighter. Each episode we bring you closer to the neighbors, local legends and beachside businesses that make Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. Pull up a beach chair, grab a drink and let's meet the people who make this island feel like home. We want to send out some island love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance, usa and Home Well Care Services Fort Myers. Love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance, usa and Home Well Care Services Fort Myers. They are the businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener, from local stories to the positive vibe of island life. Here's to celebrating all that makes Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love. Here's your host, cabo, jim Schaller.

Speaker 2:

Welcome good neighbors to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor podcast. Today we have Good Neighbor Shannon McDonald from Southwest Florida Proton Welcome, welcome.

Speaker 3:

Thank you very much. Thanks for having me here.

Speaker 2:

Pleasure to have you on and learn a little bit more about Southwest Florida Proton. You guys are new in town, right?

Speaker 3:

We are. Yes, it's the first proton therapy center in Southwest Florida.

Speaker 2:

Yes, it's the first proton therapy center in Southwest Florida, so for those of those listeners that aren't familiar with it, can you explain a little bit about what that all entails?

Speaker 3:

So proton therapy is a type of radiation therapy and typically radiation is used for cancer. It's one of the three modalities. We have surgery, systemic therapy, which would be chemotherapy, or therapy that goes everywhere in your body, and radiation, which is usually delivered by a machine that aims radiation into your body, and the most common type is called photon or X-ray radiation therapy and that's widely available in many locations in the Southwest Florida area in the Southwest Florida area. But proton therapy is a type of therapy that enters in the body and stops and delivers less radiation to healthy organs and tissues that don't have cancer and is better at targeting just the cancer.

Speaker 2:

Interesting, interesting. So I know this is the first one here in Southwest Florida. Are there other proton facilities throughout Florida?

Speaker 3:

There are others in Florida. Florida actually has a larger number of proton centers than most states in the US, but they also have a large population of patients with cancer.

Speaker 2:

Very okay, interesting. So how did you guys come about choosing Southwest Florida for your next location?

Speaker 3:

So it's actually decided upon by an institution or a group. And there's a group, a very large radiation oncology group, named Advocate, and they decided that they wanted to be able to offer their patients and the patients of Southwest Florida or anyone who comes from outside of the area for proton therapy, this type of radiation.

Speaker 2:

Okay, Very nice. So let's back up your story a little bit. How did you get involved in all of this?

Speaker 3:

So I'm a radiation oncologist. When I was training in New York City, there were only three proton centers in the country and I specialized in pediatric cancers, which is a cancer that benefits quite a bit from this type of radiation, because younger patients have more tissues that are more sensitive to radiation. So I ended up taking a job at Mass General Hospital in Boston in 2006, and I was there for 18 years and during that time we went from three proton centers in the country to 46. And I came here because of colleagues that worked with me at MGH, who work for or help run Advocate, and that's why I started talking to them about proton therapy at MGH. Our center was decreasing its capacity so I wouldn't be able to treat as many patients as I was able to in the past. So I was very excited to join a really great group here and be able to offer this therapy to my patients and continue using it.

Speaker 2:

I love it. I love it. So let's talk about some of the challenges of getting open down here in Southwest Florida. It's been a little process, right.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so a regular photon machine is relatively inexpensive compared to a cyclotron, which is required to produce protons, and even the other parts of the machine that are required to move the beam around the patient. So it takes a lot of construction and time and money to support it, and it's a huge machine compared to a regular radiation machine. So it's been a long time coming. And then, once the machine is here, you want to use it right away, but you can't. It has to go through months and months and months of testing. So when I speak to people in the area, the question I always get is when, when? And so it's in the process now of being handed over from the vendors to our physics team for commissioning.

Speaker 2:

And hopefully we will have this available by the end of the year for patients. Very nice, people are excited.

Speaker 3:

I can definitely tell. But are there any maybe myths or misconceptions that we can kind of clear up for our listeners surrounding this type of treatment? So I think that you know we try to select who will benefit from the treatment most. There are very clear indications. There are some indications where you might have a cancer but need to talk to your doctor to know if it will benefit you or not, and then there's some where we know there won't be any difference. So I would say that there are misconceptions from some that this is better for absolutely everything and from others that it's select disease sites. But sometimes it just depends on the patient's anatomy. So you really need to individualize the care.

Speaker 2:

Interesting. So do we notice anything? Well, obviously this is a big change within the industry, but do we notice anything trending maybe in the industry or evolving Absolutely?

Speaker 3:

Well, I think there's been quite a bit of growth in proton therapy so going from three at the beginning of my career to 46 machines now and part of that is because we're recognizing the benefits of proton therapy. The costs have come down somewhat through competitive engineering. The units, despite their still very large size, are much smaller and it is a type of therapy where we only offered it in these very large academic institutions in the past and we now have the experience and the ability to reach more patients with this type of therapy and provide more regional access. I suspect there will still be a lot of growth to come in the future. So I think that 46 will turn into many, many more as time goes on, and I know that with the development of these again smaller yet still large machines, there has been an explosion in the number of machines that are being sold and delivered and constructed across the country and the world.

Speaker 2:

So Southwest Florida, you're not from here originally, right? But you're down here now. What do you think of Southwest Florida?

Speaker 3:

So the winters are fantastic. I love warm weathers, I don't even mind the summers and I think it's a really beautiful area to live in and if I were a patient and as an oncologist, it's a really beautiful place to get treatment if you need to get that treatment, and a really beautiful place to work.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, and it's a growing community. Yes.

Speaker 1:

That's a good thing.

Speaker 2:

We love that. So I know your job can be very demanding, but when you do get a moment of free time, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Speaker 3:

well, so in the in when? Well, in Boston it was in the summers. But when I'm able to be on the water, the water, um, I like to surf, but I'll only go out with an instructor now and uh and, and don't do it very often. And I do yoga almost every day or a bar class. So those are things I love to do, and also walking, although I used to be a runner, but those days are behind me, so I walk more now, but being outside and being active is what it's all about, and the weather down here allows us to do that.

Speaker 3:

It does, and I love my dog, so walking my dog is easier than running with him.

Speaker 2:

Yes, exactly I understand that. So is there one thing you wish our listeners knew about Southwest Florida Proton that maybe they wouldn't be too aware of?

Speaker 3:

I guess I would just say it's a really beautiful place to work. It's a beautiful place to receive treatment. It's very calm and the physicians that are in the groups that are supporting that. You know anyone could go to the center but the physicians from the group and advocate who hired me and inspire the other group that joined are really just fantastic. The people are what make the place special and I wouldn't have come here just for a machine. I came here for the people and the group and I just think they're fabulous.

Speaker 2:

Radiation oncology group and I'm really happy with the colleagues that I've been able to meet and that's important from a patient side too, to understand that you know it is a family and they are very caring and you know catering to your needs. Yes, I love that. How would our listeners go about contacting you if they wanted to learn more or had?

Speaker 3:

some questions. They could contact the Southwest Florida Proton Center and they would be welcome to email me directly if they'd like to, at smcdonald@swflprotoncom, and we will provide information about the therapy. And a lot of patients do call and ask is this the right therapy for me? And we're trying to answer those questions now for both oncologists and patients and the community.

Speaker 2:

Perfect, any last words for our listeners today.

Speaker 3:

Just thank you for listening and your interest in learning about proton therapy and thank you for having me on this show.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, and thank you for being part of such a good neighbor down here in Southwest Florida and doing what you do.

Speaker 3:

Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor Podcast, where community meets paradise. If you love what you heard, share it with a friend and keep the good vibes going Until next time. Stay sunny, stay salty and keep being a good neighbor. Also, to nominate your favorite neighbors, local legends, heroes or island businesses to be on the show, go to CaboWaboJimcom. That's CaboWaboJimcom, or call 239-427-4100. We want to send out some island love to Eric Tibbs from Edward Jones State Insurance USA and Home Well Care Services Fort Myers. They are the businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener, from local stories to the positive vibe of island life. Here's to celebrating all that makes fort myers beach the slice of paradise we all love.