AdventHealth Cancer Institute has picked the MEVION S250-FIT proton therapy system to launch its first-ever proton therapy program, bringing a new cancer treatment option to the AdventHealth Orlando campus with an expected opening in 2028. The system is built to treat both children and adults, and it marks a significant expansion for a health system that already diagnoses more cancer cases than any other in Florida.
A Compact System Built for an Existing Vault
The announcement, detailed in a release from Business Wire, describes the MEVION S250-FIT as engineered to fit inside a standard linear accelerator vault rather than requiring the sprawling footprint older proton systems have typically demanded. That design detail matters for hospitals retrofitting existing radiation oncology space instead of building from scratch. According to Mevion Medical Systems, the system is designed to seamlessly fit into a standard radiation therapy vault using existing hospital infrastructure, and the FDA granted it 510(k) clearance on September 15, 2025.
The technology combines several components under one roof: HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning, Leo Cancer Care's MARIE 360-degree upright positioning system with integrated CT imaging, and RaySearch Laboratories' RayStation treatment planning system, per the seed facts in the announcement. Mevion's own materials add that the platform builds on its HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning foundation while introducing DirectArc proton arc therapy and FLASH research readiness. Mevion was founded in 2004 by pioneers from Mass General and MIT, and the company is headquartered and manufactures its systems in Littleton, Massachusetts.
Why Proton Therapy Matters for Pediatric Patients
Proton therapy concentrates radiation at a planned depth, which helps limit exposure to healthy tissue beyond a tumor, and that precision is described as particularly important in pediatric oncology, where protecting developing organs is central to treatment planning. As WUSF explains it, proton therapy uses charged particles called protons to target tumors while limiting radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. Separately, Orlando Health notes that proton therapy may be used for tumors located near critical organs or highly sensitive areas, including the spinal cord, retina, optic nerves, heart and brain.
That said, the science on long-term benefit is still developing. The National Cancer Institute describes proton radiotherapy as having emerged as a preferred method for some cancers, especially in children, because it lowers radiation exposure to healthy tissue and potentially reduces the risk of adverse treatment-related effects. But the institute also cautions that the magnitude of any reduction in the risk of second cancers remains uncertain, and no randomized clinical trials comparing proton and photon therapy have been conducted in children. Research published through the National Library of Medicine echoes that caution, framing pediatric proton therapy's lower normal-tissue dose as offering a chance of decreasing acute and late radiation-related effects rather than a guaranteed outcome.
Leadership Weighs In on the New Program
Dr. Mark Socinski, executive medical director of the AdventHealth Cancer Institute, said the platform will expand treatment options for adults and children alongside specialist and support services, according to the Business Wire announcement. Tina Yu, president and CEO of Mevion Medical Systems, said AdventHealth's selection adds momentum to the company's latest-generation platform. The AdventHealth Cancer Institute is described in the release as providing care tailored to specific cancer types, early-phase clinical trials, and advanced surgical and treatment capabilities, operating as part of AdventHealth, a not-for-profit network with more than 110,000 team members across more than 2,000 care sites that serves millions of people annually.
Central Florida Joins a Statewide Proton Therapy Buildout
AdventHealth's move follows a broader expansion of proton therapy capacity across Florida. BayCare opened a $33 million proton therapy center at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa earlier this month, per the same WUSF account, offering treatment to eligible adults and children through a compact Mevion-built system that includes an upright positioning chair allowing patients to be treated while seated. The outlet notes that the BayCare opening adds to the growing availability of proton therapy on Florida's west coast. Mevion's FDA announcement also lists the S250-FIT as under installation at Stanford Health Care and BayCare Health System, with additional installations beginning at Atlantic Health System and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Moffitt Cancer Center is pursuing its own buildout in Tampa, installing IBA's Proteus ONE system at its SPEROS campus, according to Moffitt Cancer Center, with the center scheduled to open to patients in 2026 as part of a new 120,000-square-foot clinic that includes a 30,000-square-foot proton center. Tampa General Hospital announced plans for its own proton therapy facility back in 2023, per WUSF's reporting. Meanwhile, Orlando Health already operates the Marjorie and Leonard Williams Center for Proton Therapy, which treats both adult and pediatric patients and anchors what Orlando Health describes as the only program in Florida combining pediatric neuro-oncology, proton therapy and a freestanding children's hospital on one campus.
Mevion describes itself as the pioneer of the single-room proton therapy platform, with its compact systems in use since 2013 and a presence that now extends across Europe and Asia. For Central Florida families facing a cancer diagnosis, the addition of a second proton therapy option in the region means more choice closer to home once AdventHealth's program opens in 2028 — even as the broader medical research community continues studying exactly how much proton therapy's healthy-tissue sparing translates into measurable long-term benefit.
