Florida becomes the first in the U.S. to offer carbon ion cancer therapy

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Florida is the first state in the U.S. – and in the entire western hemisphere – to launch a carbon ion therapy program for cancer treatment. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this innovative step in cancer research at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Thursday. DeSantis, along with his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis, and the Mayo Clinic board flipped the switch to launch the energizing of the particle therapy beam line in the Duan Family Building in the integrative oncology facility. 

Florida contributed $30 million to the new facility and program, DeSantis said. The clinic's programs received close to $100 million since DeSantis has been in office, he said. 

The Mayo Clinic expects to begin proton therapy in 2027 and carbon ion therapy in 2028. 

Behind the research

What we know:

In the summer of 2025, the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville opened its first clinical carbon ion radiation therapy center. In 2023, 15 carbon ion therapy centers existed worldwide, across Asia and Europe, the Mayo Clinic said. Japan has also embraced the technology, DeSantis said. 

Though the Mayo Clinic has been researching using carbon ion therapy since the 2010s, the new faculty allows the clinic to conduct clinical trials and research the efficiency of carbon ion therapy for various cancer types, the clinic said. 

This research includes adult and pediatric therapy. 

"This achievement didn't come easily," Kent Thielen, Chief Executive Officer of the Mayo Clinic Florida, said, listing the global pandemic, supply chain disruptions, inflation and hurricanes. "Our teams have remained steadfast since initiating this transformational investment back in 2019." 

What is carbon ion therapy? 

Carbon ion therapy is a form of radiation therapy that uses carbon ion beams to target and destroy cancer tumors. The positively charged carbon ions go directly into the tumor and can damage the DNA of the cancer cells, the Mayo Clinic said. 

Carbon ion therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy. In contrast to radiation therapy – which uses x-rays – carbon ion therapy can specifically target cancer cells. 

More than half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy as part of their treatment plans, Thielen said. 

First Lady Casey DeSantis reflects on her cancer treatment

First Lady Casey DeSantis had radiation therapy for six months. 

"I would never say that it was a good thing that I got sick, but I will say, I am just so humbled to have had a very, very small part in seeing something so historic happen," Casey DeSantis said. 

These days, her right arm might not work as well as her left, she said, but she has hope that through this technology that people receiving cancer treatment might not have some of the ramifications from treatment and have a quality of life afterward.

"It's a privilege to be here today when you guys actually flip the switch," she said. 

Florida's contributions to cancer research

By the numbers:

Since DeSantis' time as governor, he said over $1 billion has been given toward cancer research programs. In 2025, $218 million was budgeted toward cancer research. 

In September 2025, the governor and first lady announced making $60 million available to fund high-impact research, with a focus on nutrition practices for cancer prevention or treatment through funding the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund. The innovation fund, established through the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program – formerly known as the Florida Consortium of National Cancer Institute Centers Program – provided $80 million to support 95 researchers and institutions across the state, DeSantis' office announced in a September 2025 press release.

What's next:

The Mayo Clinic is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding its use of carbon ion therapy.