Lifespan, Dana-Farber form partnership for cancer care, research

Boston's world-renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Lifespan have signed a letter of intent to form a partnership that aims to improve cancer treatment, research and teaching, the two institutions announced on Thursday. The partnership will particularly benefit Lifespan patients with "rare and complex cancers," according to a joint statement, while providing all Lifespan patients access to "a broader array of clinical trials, and to emerging and novel cancer therapies." "It's a good day for Rhode Island," Dr. Timothy Babineau, Lifespan president and CEO, said in an interview. The partnership with Dana-Farber, he said, is exclusive to Lifespan. It is not a merger.