ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Andersen Foundation, built on the Andersen Window fortune, donated $100 million to Mayo Clinic to build a new proton-beam cancer treatment center. Mayo said the facility, to be called the Andersen Building, will be downtown east of Mayo’s Eisenberg Building. The plan includes two floors below ground with options for expansion. The first patients will be treated in 2026, Mayo said. Existing proton beam therapy will continue during construction. The Andersen gift will go also toward underwriting patient expenses.
Proton beam therapy
Mayo began proton beam therapy in 2015. Pencil beams deliver precise radiotherapy to cancerous tumors while minimizing radiation of surrounding healthy tissue. Mayo anticipates 900 additional patients per year initially a the expanded Andersen facility and 2,000 by 2025. The nearest other proton-beam therapy is in Illinois and Missouri.