Saint Luke’s East Hospital to unveil new and expanded Oncology services in November

Battling cancer is extremely difficult, but for Saint Luke’s East Hospital patients, receiving treatment will now be much easier. Saint Luke’s will celebrate the opening of new and expanded oncology services at Saint Luke’s East Hospital with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 5:15 p.m. The expansion of Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute provides Lee’s Summit and the surrounding communities with access to the most advanced cancer treatments in a supportive and compassionate environment, all close to home.

Located in the hospital’s North Medical Pavilion, the expansion includes new radiation therapy services and expanded medical oncology and infusion therapy.

“There was a real need in the community and the region for comprehensive and easily accessible oncology services,” said Ron Baker, Saint Luke’s East Hospital CEO. “With all services located on one campus, patients will no longer have to travel to multiple locations or outside the immediate area to benefit from the full range of Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute’s services and experts.”

Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute provides the full continuum of care – from diagnosis through treatment and survivorship – for cancer patients and their families. In addition, patients have access to the latest developments in treatments through industry and National Cancer Institute-supported clinical research studies.

“Research is crucial to improving care and finding new therapies to treat, and even cure, cancer,” said Timothy Pluard, M.D., medical director, Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute. “Saint Luke’s screens 100 percent of cancer patients for clinical trial eligibility. With our expanded services, a full-time cancer research nurse will work with patients at Saint Luke’s East Hospital to enroll and manage patients in clinical studies, making it even easier for patients to benefit from the latest developments in cancer research.”

Features of the oncology expansion include:

• Radiation therapy: Located on the first floor of the North Medical Pavilion, the new radiation therapy suite has a state-of-the-art linear accelerator capable of providing the most accurate and precise radiation treatments available. Therapies include conformal modulated therapy, which is delivered in half the time or less than conventional radiation treatment; 3-D external multi-beam therapy; intensity modulated radiation therapy; and stereotactic body radiation therapy.
• Medical oncology and Infusion: Specialists in Cancer Care will move to the North Medical Pavilion’s fifth floor from their current space in the Medical Office Building. With 8,300 square feet of space – almost double the previous office – one full-time and three additional board-certified medical oncologists provide individualized treatment for all major cancers. Directly adjacent to the medical oncology office, the Saint Luke’s Hospital Infusion Center’s new treatment area offers 16 infusion bays, compared to the previous center’s five bays. Designed with input from patients, the space features abundant natural light, private televisions, Wi-Fi access, ergonomically designed recliners, stereo headsets, and a nourishment area.

The expanded services compliment existing oncology services at Saint Luke’s East Hospital including surgical oncology, genetic counseling, cancer rehabilitation, and the Breast Center. 

The new oncology space is part of an $80 million multiphase expansion started in 2011 at Saint Luke’s East Hospital. The expansion includes construction of the North Medical Pavilion, a Level IIIa Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a new ICU, additional Emergency Department beds, additional operating rooms in the ambulatory surgery center, and new medical office space. The final phase of construction—the addition of a fifth floor to the hospital—will open in 2014.

Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute is a member of Saint Luke's Health System, which consists of 10 area hospitals and several primary and specialty care practices, and provides a range of inpatient, outpatient, and home care services. Founded as a faith-based, not-for-profit organization, our mission includes a commitment to the highest levels of excellence in health care and the advancement of medical research and education. The health system is an aligned organization in which the physicians and hospitals assume responsibility for enhancing the physical, mental, and spiritual health of people in the metropolitan Kansas City area and the surrounding region.