Due to the weather, the event has been postponed to Monday, Aug. 19. The details below have been updated to reflect this change.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic is set to celebrate the next phase of construction of its new proton beam therapy facility with a topping-off ceremony, which will place the final steel beam on top of the Andersen Building.

The Andersen Building, located in downtown Rochester, was constructed to meet the increasing demand of patients seeking advanced cancer treatment. The building, expected to be open and treating patients in the second quarter of 2027, will have three levels above grade and two below ground and will allow for future vertical expansion.

Mayo Clinic's Proton Beam Therapy Program opened in 2015 within the Jacobson Building in Rochester and has since approached its appointment capacity. Today, approximately 1,250 patients receive proton beam therapy per year in the Jacobson Building, which is adjacent to the Andersen Building. Approximately 900 additional patients per year will be treated at the Andersen Building to meet the site’s estimated demand of 2,000 patients who will need proton beam therapy each year by 2032. 

Proton beam therapy uses pencil beam scanning to precisely deliver high doses of radiation to cancerous tissue while minimizing radiation of surrounding healthy tissue. This highly targeted therapy is ideal for people with tumors close to, or in, vital organs and for young people whose organs are still developing.

WHAT: A topping-off celebration for Mayo Clinic staff in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Staff will have the opportunity to sign the beam before it is placed on top of the building.

WHO: Interviews available with Anita Mahajan, M.D., radiation oncologist and particle therapy medical director.

WHEN: Monday, Aug. 19.  

WHERE: The Andersen Building lot, near the project trailer at the intersection of 1^st Ave NW and West Center Street.

RSVP: Kelley Luckstein by 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16, at newsbureau@mayo.edu.

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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center
Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is defining new boundaries in possibility, focusing on patient-centered care, developing novel treatments, training future generations of cancer experts and bringing cancer research to communities. At Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a culture of innovation and collaboration is driving research breakthroughs that are changing approaches to cancer prevention, screening and treatment, and improving the lives of cancer survivors.

Media contact:

• Kelley Luckstein, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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