Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, to Launch Only Carbon Ion Therapy Program in Western Hemisphere

–Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville is launching the first carbon ion therapy program in America and the only carbon ion therapy program in the Western Hemisphere.

Staff Reports

Last week, Governor Ron DeSantis and Mayo Clinic President and CEO Dr. Kent Thielen announced that Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville is launching the first carbon ion therapy program in America and the only carbon ion therapy program in the Western Hemisphere.

     In June 2025, Mayo Clinic opened the 228,000-square-foot Duan Family Building in Jacksonville to expand cancer treatment and research. The new facility will be uniquely designed to deliver both carbon ion therapy and proton therapy, including the ability to treat the same tumor with either approach for greater precision.

     Mayo Clinic expects proton therapy to begin in 2027 and carbon ion therapy to begin in 2028. Patients will benefit from expanded care well before then through additional services already being offered at the facility, including photon therapy, immunotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy, advanced imaging, and other specialized cancer services.

     Carbon ion therapy is one of the most advanced radiation treatment technologies in the world, designed for hard-to-treat and treatment-resistant cancers. Until now, the therapy has only been available at a limited number of centers in Asia and Europe.

     According to the Mayo Clinic, carbon ion therapy is a type of radiation treatment that uses beams of carbon ions to target and destroy cancerous tumors. At its core, carbon ion therapy works by accelerating carbon atoms to nearly the speed of light and stripping them of their electrons, creating positively charged carbon ions that are sent directly into the tumor. Within the tumor, these ions damage the DNA of the cancer cells. This leads to breaks in the chromosomes that can kill the cells.

     Carbon ion therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that uses heavier carbon particles to deliver a more potent dose of radiation to cancer cells. Carbon ions can cause more irreparable DNA damage compared to standard radiation or proton therapy and are particularly effective at treating tumors that haven’t responded to other treatments.