The Massachusetts Public Health Council voted Wednesday to approve the construction of a proton therapy center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Longwood, bringing the state’s existing and future proton beams to four.
Last month, the council delayed its vote on the project, citing concerns that the proposal didn’t do enough to address equitable access for patients on MassHealth and those who live outside the Boston area.
Dana-Farber plans to build a 4,500-square-foot ambulatory health care center and install the proton therapy system at 35 Binney St. in Boston. The project is estimated to cost $50.5 million.
“The newly approved proton therapy center will expand access to cutting-edge treatment and strengthen our commitment to delivering high-quality, innovative care for pediatric and adult patients across the region,” Dana-Farber CEO Dr. Benjamin Ebert said in a statement.
The proton therapy development elevates Dana-Farber’s standing in its competition with Mass General Brigham as the cancer institute prepares to leave its longstanding partnership with the MGB system’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. MGB has touted its proton therapy center as the only one in New England in advertisements and on its website.
Dana-Farber has planned a $1.68 billion, 300-bed cancer hospital to be built on the site of the Joslin Diabetes Center in partnership with MGB’s rival, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Proton therapy is a type of radiation treatment for cancer that uses high-energy proton beams, which are more precise than traditional radiation methods and reduce radiation exposure to the rest of the patient’s body, according to Dana-Farber. It’s the preferred radiation treatment for many pediatric solid tumors, and is also used to treat some cancers in adults.
There are 48 operating proton centers in the US, according to the National Association for Proton Therapy. There are two existing proton therapy systems in Massachusetts, both owned by Mass General Brigham, but only one is operational. The other is on track to re-open in June 2027, a Mass General Brigham spokesperson said.
The next-closest proton therapy center is under development in Connecticut.
In December, the Public Health Council approved the purchase of a proton beam by UMass Memorial Health Care for use at Marlborough Hospital in Central Massachusetts. Advocates for the $54 million project said opening a proton beam outside of Boston will allow patients in Central and Western Massachusetts to access the therapy without traveling multiple hours for daily treatment.
Construction of Dana-Farber’s proton therapy center will begin this spring and will open to patients in late 2027, the cancer institute said.
Marin Wolf can be reached at marin.wolf@globe.com.