About Us
Through world-class research and patient care, The University of Kansas Cancer Center is working toward a world without cancer.
We are focused every day on ending the burden of cancer in the Heartland. Our partners include:
When it comes to facing cancer, patients benefit from a strong and unified team approach. Our doctors and scientists collaborate on new and more effective drug and treatment therapies. Their goal is to prevent, treat and, ultimately, end cancer. Our patient care team provides the most advanced care and the best possible service to our patients. Our health sciences schools train the next generation of doctors and scientists to continue the fight against cancer.
One of our top priorities is to earn National Cancer Institute designation, which represents excellence in cancer research. Being an NCI-designated cancer center means our patients will have better opportunities to take part in clinical trials that test new treatments. They will have access to the newest, most promising therapies and laboratory discoveries. And they will be able to receive leading-edge care much closer to home.
Patient Care
Eliminating cancer demands a comprehensive approach. Our doctors are specialists in all forms of cancer, from rare conditions to the more common. Every patient receives personalized treatment designed specifically for their unique cancer.
We offer a full range of cancer services, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and survivorship. Many patients have a combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. This often translates to improved outcomes. We have invested in technology to provide state-of-the-art detection, diagnostic and treatment services.
We provide these advanced services for both inpatients and outpatients. Our partnership with Kansas City Cancer Center has allowed us to expand outpatient services and provide the region’s most comprehensive cancer program. Patients have access to 10 additional locations and more specialists, technology, treatment options and clinical trials.
Our doctors work in teams to personalize each patient’s care. At weekly conferences, they review cases and get opinions from the group of specialists. They work together to find the best treatment options. This kind of collaboration is a key advantage of an academic medical center.
Our patients’ treatments extend well beyond their physical care. Patient Support and Psychological Services brings together social workers, dietitians, chaplains and other support staff. They work with patients dealing with a cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Clinical trials are at the foundation of every lifesaving cancer treatment used today. As an academic medical center, we provide access to clinical trials that can improve care today and contribute to cancer research that will help future cancer patients.
Cancer Research
Our goal is to build a world-class cancer center that is at the forefront of discovery, development and implementation of knowledge, technology and novel therapeutic agents for the treatment and prevention of cancer. We are gaining critical insights into the origins of cancer, allowing us to translate discoveries from bench to bedside. By leveraging the strengths and rich history of drug development in the region, the cancer center seeks to be the No. 1 academic producer of cancer-fighting drugs.
Disease-specific working groups, including both clinicians and basic research investigators, promote collaborative opportunities and the exchange of research ideas. The disease working groups define clinical research priorities respective to their disease specialty with an emphasis on Investigator Initiated Trials (IITs). The cancer center’s current disease working groups include lung, hematology/bone marrow transplant, gastrointestinal, genitor-urinary, head and neck, breast and brain.
The University of Kansas Cancer Center has more than 160 members from across the state and region. Members are associated with the following research partner organizations:
- The University of Kansas Medical Center
- The University of Kansas-Lawrence
- The University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Education and Training
The University of Kansas Cancer Center is part of a broad network of respected health care research and education organizations in the Kansas City and Lawrence, Kan., areas. Through this network, doctors, researchers and cancer support professionals can access a wide variety of formal and informal cancer education resources.
In partnership with the University of Kansas School of Medicine departments, the University of Kansas Cancer Center offers a number of cancer education conferences that provide cancer center members the opportunity to interact and share ideas about cancer-related topics.
The University of Kansas Cancer Center also aims to further the training of undergraduate, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Cancer center administration supports the infrastructure for graduate-level courses, including Introduction to Clinical and Translational Cancer Research, and Carcinogenesis and Cancer Biology. Courses are offered at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, the University of Kansas - Lawrence and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. A Summer Research Training Program fosters faculty/student mentoring, giving bright students with an interest in cancer research the opportunity to work and train in the cancer center labs for an eight-week period as a paid internship.
Several key events are supported by The University of Kansas Cancer Center, including an annual research symposium, annual State of the Cancer Center address and Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute symposiums. The goals of these events are to increase cancer center member awareness and interactivity.
The Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute (KMCRI) Roundtables are designed to highlight exciting, highly visible research. Speakers are invited guests of the research programs or shared resources.
Facilities
State-of-the-art facilities for the most advanced patient care and groundbreaking research:
Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Care Pavilion
Patients receive diagnostic and outpatient procedures in a convenient, one-stop location offering a comfortable, private environment.
The University of Kansas Hospital
Inpatient cancer care and surgery are provided at our main campus, located in Kansas City, Kan.
Richard and Annette Bloch Radiation Oncology Pavilion
Located on our main campus, this facility is where our radiation oncologists perform some of the region's most advanced cancer treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy. Each member of the team will make recommendations regarding your treatment based on experience, research and your condition.
Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute
Undergoing renovation, the 170,000-square-foot Kansas Masonic Cancer Research Institute on the KUMC campus will house 37 cancer-focused researchers in a state-of-the-art space designed for collaboration and access to common equipment.
The University of Kansas Clinical Research Center
Opened in January 2012, the new KUCRC offers early-phase cancer clinical trials to patients wanting to expand their medical options.