Dr. Akash Nanda, Radiation Oncologist, Discusses Proton Therapy Center

At the Orlando Health Cancer Institute, we are committed to providing unparalleled care to patients with cancer. Our multidisciplinary approach sets us apart from other local centers in Florida. Our breadth of expertise from subspecialty-trained oncologists results in an evidence-based, consensus-driven approach to cancer care for our patients.

Our radiation oncology department has a longstanding tradition of providing first-class care utilizing the most state-of-the-art equipment. Our proton therapy center, set to open in 2016, will allow our patients to continue to have access to the latest technology for their cancer treatments. Only the second such facility in Florida, the Orlando Health Cancer Institute Proton Therapy Center will provide patients from Central Florida and beyond a first-time opportunity to receive cancer treatments with the most modern and sophisticated form of radiation treatment — proton therapy.

This highly specialized technology harnesses the unique physical properties of protons, which are hydrogen atoms, to deliver radiation therapy for cancer with unprecedented precision and accuracy. This technology will also allow our Cancer Center's radiation oncologists to treat certain tumors with fewer short-term side effects.

Our new proton therapy center will both complement and add to our vast repertoire of state-of-the-art treatments. As such, our cancer patients will now have yet another tool utilizing the latest, most advanced technology available to help in their fight against cancer.

The proton therapy center will be a welcome addition to the Orlando Health Cancer Institute and the entire Orlando Health family of hospitals. This facility will help us to further our patient-first mission. It will also create several new jobs for the local Central Florida community. The proton therapy center will enable our physicians and scientists to develop new research studies and treatment protocols for patients utilizing this new technology. And finally, proton therapy will further distinguish and elevate our status as a leading cancer center, as there are only a handful of such facilities nationwide that offer this treatment to their patients.

About Dr. Nanda:

Akash Nanda, MD, PhD, serves as director of Genitourinary and Hematologic Radiation Oncology at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute.

Dr. Nanda graduated from the combined MD, PhD program at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also received his doctorate degree in human genetics and molecular biology. He completed his residency training in radiation oncology at the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, where he was awarded a resident research grant from the Radiologic Society of North America (RSNA). He was also selected by the American Brachytherapy Society to participate as a prostate brachytherapy fellow at the Seattle Prostate Institute.

Dr. Nanda’s primary research interests include outcomes analyses and the design of prospective clinical trials for men with prostate cancer. He is also interested in developing and testing new technologies aimed at improving the precision of radiation treatment delivery. Dr. Nanda presented his research findings at several national meetings, including the American Society for Radiation and Oncology (ASTRO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). He also has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals, including The Journal of the American Medical Association and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology · Biology · Physics. He has one patented biomedical invention and currently has another patent in development. He is currently a member of ASTRO, ASCO, RSNA, AACR and the American Medical Association.