Construction of new KU Cancer Center in KCK moving forward. When it will be done
The University of Kansas Cancer Center’s highly anticipated new, state-of-the-art facility has made it through some foundational hoops since its official groundbreaking in May, a representative from the center told Wyandotte County’s governing board.
People can expect to see heavy equipment moving near 39th Street and Rainbow Boulevard throughout the next two years as crews construct a brand new cancer center that local medical leaders anticipate will be a national beacon for cancer research and treatment. The new center is scheduled for November 2027 completion and, according to local government documents, is estimated to cost $450 million.
During a regular meeting of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas’s board of commissioners, Dr. Jeff Holzeierlein, neurological oncologist and physician in chief, delivered an update on how the project is coming along and what it could mean for Wyandotte County and the rest of the metro.
The new center will respond to what the center described as an alarming increase in worldwide annual cancer cases. KU Cancer Center plans for the facility to be half research-focused and half clinical, with a specialization in cellular therapy.
Cellular therapy is a cancer treatment where doctors use a patient’s own living cells, or donated cells, to fight their cancer, Holzbeierlein said. It can be used as an alternative to or in tandem with chemotherapy.
“With annual cancer rates around the world expected to increase to 29.5 million by 2040, the need for more breakthrough research and innovative treatments is greater than ever before,” according to the KU Cancer Center website.
The center will feature five floors, one for cell processing, lab work and a waiting area, another for administrative work, and three for patient care. Project leaders hope to construct a vast lawn in front of the center after the building is completed.
Entry to the facility should be simple, with a valet service and a free parking garage for all patients and their families, Holzbeierlein said.
The KU Cancer Center in 2022 earned a “comprehensive” designation by the National Cancer Institute, meaning it meets the highest standards among national cancer centers.
County Administrator David Johnston, Mayor Tyrone Garner and three county commissioners thanked KU Cancer Center at the close of Holzbeierlein’s presentation.
District 1 At-large Commissioner Melissa Bynum, who lost her sister to cancer earlier this year, requested that Holzbeierlein share her thanks to the entire team. She said staff at the center gave her sister several extra years of life that she didn’t otherwise have coming.
“They never gave up on her and she never gave up either,” Bynum said.
