Southwest Florida Proton completed pouring the foundation of its 35,000-square-foot cancer treatment center being built in Estero. Once opened, the building, 9961 Estero Oaks Drive, will provide cancer patients with access to state-of-the-art technology, cancer care and radiation oncologists. The cancer treatment center will be the first of its kind on Florida’s west coast. Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that uses charged proton particles to destroy cancer cells. Protons have the unique ability to travel into a target and not beyond it, which can reduce potential side effects and complications during and after cancer treatments. Lee Healthcare Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lee Health, was announced as a project investor. Lee Health will provide a radiology suite with Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging capabilities. Advocate Radiation Oncology will provide physician services at Southwest Florida Proton. Investors are financing the purchase of complex medical equipment, construction costs and operation of the treatment center, which has an estimated $80 million construction and capital cost. The centerpiece of the cancer center will be Ion Beam Application’s ProteusONE, a machine that delivers the most clinically advanced form of proton radiation therapy. In addition to diagnostic imaging capabilities, the building also will house exam rooms, administrative offices and other spaces. Construction on the building is expected to continue into 2024.