Marcio Fagundes, MD
Radiation Oncologist
Marcio Fagundes, M.D., is the Medical Director of the Radiation Oncology Department of the Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida. Dr. Fagundes attended medical school at Universidad Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. He completed internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital, residency in radiation oncology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and fellowship in radiation oncology (proton therapy) at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard dedicated to proton therapy training. Following fellowship, Dr. Fagundes served as assistant professor of radiation oncology at TUFTS University School of Medicine in Boston, during which time intensity modulated radiotherapy was being developed into clinical use. Dr. Fagundes worked for several years in Brazil where he introduced several advances in radiotherapy such as radiosurgery, high dose rate brachytherapy for gynecologic and breast malignancies, as well as low dose rate permanent implant brachytherapy for prostate cancer.
During the 5 years that preceded joining Baptist Health South Florida, he developed extensive experience in proton therapy practicing full time first at the Procure Oklahoma City Proton Center as staff physician for 2 years. He subsequently led the opening of the Provision Proton Center in Knoxville as Medical Director, TN where he practiced between 2013-2016. Dr. Fagundes has conducted significant research in the field of proton therapy, including innovative applications such as proton therapy for breast cancer and hypofractionated proton therapy for prostate cancer. Dr. Fagundes led the efforts to introduce pencil beam scanning proton therapy in Knoxville in replacement of the older method called uniform scanning. Pencil beam scanning proton therapy also known as spot scanning technique allows even better control of dose deposition of conformal dose around the target while sparing normal organs, having the advantage of treating larger fields like pelvic lymph nodes.
Dr. Fagundes pioneered the utilization of rectal spacer gel known as SpaceOAR to displace the rectum away from the prostate being the first physician to utilize this method with proton therapy in the world on April 6th 2015, following the FDA release of SpaceOAR rectal spacer. He has treated well over 300 prostate cancer patients with rectal spacer and proton therapy exceptional outcomes presented in multiple worldwide medical meetings such as PTCOG – Proton Therapy Collaborative Group. Dr. Fagundes is a mentor and trains physicians who are in the process of adopting these new techniques, including various forms of advanced proton therapy.
Following inauguration of the new Miami Cancer Institute in February of 2017, Dr. Fagundes leads the efforts in proton therapy implementation as Medical Director of the Miami Cancer Institute Radiation Oncology Department as part of Baptist Health South Florida since October 2016. This facility is unique worldwide having available all modalities of radiotherapy including Linac based IMRT – Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy, Tomotherapy, Cyberknife, Gamma knife and proton therapy. This facility can effectively perform comparative plan and offer patients the best modality for each scenario having no preconceived preference occasionally driven by technique availability or resource limitations.