First Dedicated Cancer Hospital Coming to North Texas

$350 Million Facility Will Include Largest Outpatient Cancer Center in North Texas

With goals of reducing cancer to a chronic disease and ultimately finding a cure, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas will formally announce on September 26 that it is developing North Texas' first dedicated cancer hospital along with a new outpatient cancer center that will be the largest in North Texas. The new 450,000-square-foot cancer center is scheduled to open in 2011, and construction of the dedicated cancer hospital will begin in 2010 with completion scheduled for 2013. 

"When completed in 2013, it will be our goal to be a nationally and internationally renowned cancer care destination, building on Baylor Dallas' commitment to providing advanced cancer treatments and leading the charge of improvement in cancer care through research," said Joel T. Allison, president of Baylor Health Care System. 

The outpatient cancer center and inpatient cancer hospital are a $350 million investment. 

"Baylor Dallas has historically been the leader in cancer care in North Texas, and we feel a great responsibility to offer the best cancer care in the country," said John B. McWhorter, the hospital's president, and senior vice president at Baylor Health Care System. "We want people to be cared for in a compassionate manner. And we want to continue to be the destination center for cancer care for citizens of North Texas." 

The outpatient cancer center will provide a full range of cancer-related services, including physician offices, radiation, chemotherapy, pain management and complementary medicine, such as massage therapy and support groups. The inpatient cancer hospital will be built as an expansion of the Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center at Dallas and will feature 120 beds. 

"We're entering a new era in cancer care at Baylor Dallas," said Marvin Stone, M.D., medical oncologist and chief of oncology on the medical staff at Baylor Dallas. Dr. Stone is also the director of the Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, which opened in 1976. 

"We've made enormous progress during the past 32 years, but now we're ready to rise to the next level, paralleling the striking advancements we've seen in the field," he said. 

Breakthroughs in Cancer Care
The new cancer center will allow for a more comprehensive personalized medicine program, including areas of research such as targeted therapy. Targeted therapy allows physicians to analyze a patient's genes and determine what type of treatment will work best for that particular patient.

"These approaches will move the entire field forward, and we're already applying them in certain kinds of leukemia, lymphoma, breast, lung and colon cancer," said Dr. Stone. "There's going to be a tremendous increase in our ability to make more accurate diagnoses and target therapy in individual patients. This technology will be more effective and produce fewer side effects."

Beyond targeted therapy, the new cancer center will allow clinicians to engage in further cancer research, focusing on breakthroughs that directly affect patients, whether through a more accurate diagnosis or more effective treatment. In addition, clinical trial participation will be expanded beyond the more than 150 studies already offered to Baylor patients.

Compassionate, Convenient Care
Based on feedback from patients, families, physicians and staff, the new cancer center  will be a patient-centered facility designed to anticipate needs throughout the continuum of care.    Caring for patients and families has always played a large role in cancer care at Baylor. Expansion of the Virginia R. Cvetko Patient Education activities at the new center, which currently include a robust number of support groups and educational resources, will add more complementary medicine programs. Massage, acupuncture, music and art will play a role in patient care provided at the cancer center.

Number of Cancer Patients Grows
Baylor conducted a thorough analysis of national cancer rates, as well as regional and local needs in planning the new cancer center and cancer hospital. In Texas, 97,281 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2008, according to the Texas Cancer Registry. In Dallas County, 8,451 new cancer cases are expected in 2008.  According to the American Cancer Society, the lifetime risk of developing cancer is 1 in 2 for men and 1 in 3 for women. 

CONTACT: Maria Carpenter
214.820.4827 office
214.344.3068 pager
214.597.5662 cell
Maria.Carpenter@BaylorHealth.edu

About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com