$100 million gift from Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation to expand Mayo Clinic’s proton beam therapy services in Minnesota 

The Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Foundation of Bayport, Minnesota, has made a $100 million multiyear commitment to support the expansion of Mayo Clinic’s proton beam facility in Rochester that will nearly double appointment access for patients in need. In recognition of this gift, Mayo Clinic will name this new facility the Fred C. and Katherine B. Andersen Building.  

Expert Alert: Accelerated breast cancer treatments at Mayo Clinic provide more options for patients during pandemic

Radiation therapy for breast cancer can be grueling and disruptive, stretching out for as long as five to seven weeks, and often requiring extended time off from work or away from home. But research over the past decade, as well as new technology and innovations at Mayo Clinic, has led to treatment alternatives that are shorter, more targeted and just as effective.

Proton therapy as effective as standard radiation with fewer side effects

Cancer patients who receive high-tech proton therapy experience similar cure rates and fewer serious side effects compared with those who undergo traditional X-ray radiation therapy, according to a study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.