@jeepio
If you live in Jacksonville area are you aware of University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute (UFHPTI)?

I live in Ponte Vedra and have been going to Mayo Jacksonville since 2006. Yes Mayo Jacksonville only has photon radiation treatments. The new cancer center will open in 2026 with proton radiation.

Many patients going to Mayo Jacksonville are referred to UFHPTI. Espeically children and those cancers that need precise radiation treatments.

UFHPTI offers a handout with tons of research on radiation treatments, their programs, and two books (one is Walsh book). It is free and will be fedex to you. Thers is not pressure to go there as are state salaried employees. The facility is ulter modern and underwent upgrades on all the 5 gantries to latest equipment.

My first consultation were at Mayo Jacksonville. I had my MRI done there, biopsies, bone scan, Decipher. My Mayo PCP advised getting a second opinion at UFHPTI. I went there and decied on proton. UFHPTI used all my medical records from Mayo to make their diagnosis with exception of adding a PSMA test (negative finding).

UFHPTI uses Space/Oar is it can be done with patients or will use the ballon. The also to markers on your prostate. They also do the water drining to move your bladder away. They do a simulation bed to is your specific bed you lay in each time. Then will do a low dose xray to make sure you are lined up for the treatments.

I would have gone to Mayo Jacksonville is they had had proton radiation. You will read a lot of different opinons on photon and proton radiation. The main difference is proton enters body at a low dose, releases is programmed dose as a specific spot and does NOT continue through body. Photon enters full dose, treats your cancer and continues out the body unlike proton.

Call UFHPTI and asked for their free information packet. If you choose Mayo they have an excellent radiation treatment program there but is photon. My Mayo urologist is the doctor who referred me to Mayo R/O for consultation. I then went to UFHPTI for second opinion.