Boca Raton Regional Upgrades Cancer Treatment Options

Boca Raton Regional Hospital has begun treating patients with proton therapy at the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute, adding a new form of targeted radiation treatment in South Palm Beach County. Baptist Health, which owns the hospital, said the first patient was treated in May 2026 after years of planning, construction and donor fundraising. The new capability is designed for cases in which doctors want to limit radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissue and sensitive structures. Hospital leaders said the addition gives local patients access to a treatment that previously could require travel outside the immediate area. ### When did Boca Raton Regional start using the new equipment? May 18, 2026, was the date TAPinto reported that Boca Raton Regional Hospital had treated its first proton therapy patient, citing a hospital announcement made the previous week. The treatment marked the operational debut of the proton therapy program at the Lynn Cancer Institute in Boca Raton. (tapinto.net) February 20, 2026, was the date Baptist Health said the center was preparing for a summer opening. At a donor event held on Feb. 19, hospital and foundation executives gathered ahead of that launch and described proton therapy as the next addition to the institute’s cancer services. ### What exactly was added at the cancer institute? The expansion includes a Proton Therapy Treatment Facility connected to the Lynn Cancer Institute, according to the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation’s project page. (tapinto.net) The foundation said the addition would add more than 16,000 square feet, including exam rooms, physician offices and a treatment room where radiation is delivered. (baptisthealth.net) Baptist Health and the foundation identify the site as the Barbara C. and Irving Gutin Center for Proton Therapy. The Lynn Cancer Institute, at 701 NW 13th St. in Boca Raton, already offers a broad list of cancer services, and its public service page now lists proton therapy among available specialties. ### How is proton therapy different from standard radiation? (keepingthepromise.brrh.com) Proton therapy uses beams of protons to deliver radiation in a more targeted way than conventional radiation, according to the hospital account cited by TAPinto. Physicians said that can be especially useful for cancers near critical parts of the body, including the brain, spine, head and neck, and thoracic region. (keepingthepromise.brrh.com) Dr. Robert Press, clinical director of proton therapy at Lynn Cancer Institute, said in a hospital release quoted by TAPinto that proton therapy “represents a major step forward” in the institute’s ability to deliver highly targeted radiation treatment. Dr. Louise Morrell, the institute’s chief medical executive, said offering the therapy in Boca Raton expands what is possible for patients and keeps care closer to home. (tapinto.net) ### Which doctors were involved in the first case? Dr. Anurag Agarwal, a radiation oncologist at the institute, and Dr. Matthew Moore, a neurosurgeon at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute, collaborated on the first patient’s case, according to the hospital statement reported by TAPinto. The hospital said Moore believed proton therapy could more precisely target the tumor while reducing radiation exposure to nearby healthy tissue. (tapinto.net) Dr. Press was identified by Baptist Health in February as director of proton therapy at Lynn Cancer Institute. Baptist Health also listed Dr. Leonard Kalman, interim system chief executive for Baptist Health Cancer Care, and Morrell among leaders involved in the program rollout. ### How large is the cancer program this new service joins? The Lynn Cancer Institute treats an estimated 4,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients each year, according to Baptist Health’s institute page. (tapinto.net) The health system says more than 30 oncology physicians are on staff and that the center is accredited as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons. Baptist Health said in February that philanthropic support from Boca Raton donors fully funded the proton therapy project. (baptisthealth.net) Lincoln Mendez, North Region executive for Baptist Health and chief executive of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, said the project would not have happened without community giving. ### What comes next for patients and the hospital? (baptisthealth.net) Summer 2026 was the opening window Baptist Health gave in February for the proton therapy center, and patient treatment has now begun. The service is being offered at the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute in the Harvey & Phyllis Sandler Pavilion on the Boca Raton campus. Baptist Health’s public institute page lists proton therapy alongside other radiation technologies including CyberKnife, Gamma Knife Icon, TrueBeam and Radixact. (baptisthealth.net) Patients seeking the new treatment are directed through the Lynn Cancer Institute in Boca Raton. (baptisthealth.net)