Upright Proton Therapy in the Spotlight in Boston, Ahead of New England’s First Installation

BOSTON, MA, 29 September 2026. Upright proton therapy took centre stage at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on Saturday 26 September, as radiation oncologists, medical physicists, healthcare operations leaders and cancer centre administrators from nine institutions presented at a multidisciplinary symposium on its role in cancer care. Leo Cancer Care supported the meeting alongside Mevion Medical Systems and RaySearch Laboratories.

Held on the opening day of the ASTRO 2026 Annual Meeting, the symposium examined the clinical evidence, disease-site applications, paediatric considerations and implementation questions raised by treating patients in a seated position. It comes as Dana-Farber prepares to bring proton therapy to its Longwood Medical Area campus.

In May 2026, the Massachusetts Public Health Council unanimously approved the Institute’s Determination of Need to build a proton therapy centre, which will be the first in New England to treat patients in a seated or inclined position. It was announced that Dana-Farber will install the MEVION S250-FIT Proton Therapy System™, in which Leo Cancer Care’s Marie® upright patient positioning and imaging solution is integrated. Construction began in spring 2026 and the centre is scheduled to open to patients in early 2028, aiming to treat more than 200 patients a year.

Removing the rotating gantry allows a proton system to fit within the space of a conventional linear accelerator vault. Rather than constructing a new building, the Institute is converting an existing auditorium on its campus to house the system, an approach made possible by the compact footprint of an upright configuration. At Dana-Farber, that means proton therapy will sit alongside the Institute’s other services on the Longwood campus rather than in a separate facility, including paediatric care delivered through the Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.

Access remains the central challenge for the field. On figures published by the National Association for Proton Therapy, around 200,000 US cancer patients a year would benefit from proton therapy, against 19,240 treated with protons in 2025. Fewer than nine per cent of patients who would benefit are able to access it.

“Upright is no longer a concept debated at the margins of a conference. It is being planned, built and commissioned by leading centres, and it is being judged on whether it widens access to proton therapy for patients who cannot reach it today. That is the right test. We are proud that Marie will be part of it at Dana-Farber,” said Thomas ‘Rock’ Mackie, Co-Founder of Leo Cancer Care.