TAMPA, Fla. — Cutting-edge cancer care is coming closer to home.

BayCare has announced it will open a proton radiation center in the Tampa Bay area. It will be located at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Patients must currently travel for that treatment.

“We really focus on top-quality care and this is the most technologically-advanced form of cancer treatment,” said Kimberly Guy, co-chief operating officer of BayCare. “So, to be able to bring that to our community first, we’re really proud.”

Don Ingram from Winter Haven had to travel for that treatment after a prostate cancer diagnosis.

“I’ve always taken care of myself and so, you could’ve knocked me over with a feather,” said Ingram. “When you get the cancer diagnosis, that’s a blow mentally.”

Ingram found some confidence through advanced treatment, but he had to travel to Jacksonville to get the proton therapy.

“The thing about my treatment that I feel very blessed about is that I had no side effects whatsoever from my treatments, none,” said Ingram.

Dr. Nitesh Paryani, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology with BayCare, said he is excited the treatment will be available in the Bay area and explained how it works.

“Proton therapy as a particle, allows us to deliver radiation only to the area of the tumor and spare all the normal tissue around it,” said Paryani. “So it really is revolutionary in our field to be able to offer this therapy and to be able to reduce patients’ side effects when it comes to cancer care.”

Ingram says it was a good option for him.

“It’s wonderful to be able to be playing out here with my friends and not even be concerned about cancer treatments or cancer,” said Ingram, who said he is happy other patients won’t have to travel for the treatment.

“Cancer is a family thing,” said Ingram. “It’s your whole family that’s involved in it. It’s not just you, so having it local is going to be a wonderful thing.”

It means that both patients and doctors will have more treatment options, closer to home.

“I think we’re really excited to be able as a health system, as BayCare, to bring this technology to our community,” said Paryani.

“This really is going to change the way we treat cancer and really bring an advanced treatment modality that’s currently not available to our patients.”

The new proton therapy center will be located in St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Fred J. Woods Radiation Therapy Center. Officials say treatment should be available there by the fall of 2025.