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KU Cancer Center director tells House health committee center has expanded patient care and research
Summary
Dr. Roy Jensen told the House Health Committee that the University of Kansas Cancer Center has grown from about 1,700 new patients in 2004 to roughly 8,500 today, increased annual research funding from about $14 million to roughly $90 million and operates more than 700 clinical trials; a new consolidated building is on schedule and expected to open in about two years.
Dr. Roy Jensen, director of the University of Kansas Cancer Center, told the Committee on House Health and Human Services on Feb. 4 that the center’s patient volume and research portfolio have grown substantially over two decades.
Jensen said the center had about 1,700 new patients in 2004 and now sees roughly 8,500 new patients a year, representing more than a third of cancer patients in its regional catchment. He told the committee the center’s research funding rose from about $14 million annually in 2004 to approximately $90 million today and that the center runs more than 700 active clinical trials.
“These numbers reflect how our network and partnerships have expanded,” Jensen said. He cited collaborations with institutions across the state, including Children’s Mercy, the Stowers Institute, Kansas State, Lawrence Memorial and Saint Francis in Topeka, and said the center has placed more than 40,000 people on cancer‑related trials since 2010.
Jensen described the center’s National Cancer Institute designation as a core strength. “NCI‑designated comprehensive centers essentially represent the NFL equivalent of NCI centers,” he said, adding that outcomes at such centers are, in his telling, about 25 percent better than elsewhere and that second opinions at NCI centers frequently change diagnoses and treatment plans.
He showed renderings and said a new consolidated building on the medical campus is under construction, is on time and on budget, and — after a recent congressionally directed spending allocation credited to Sen. Moran — will allow the center to finish all floors and centralize research and clinical teams. Jensen said he expects staff to begin moving into the building in about two years.
Representative Steens, speaking during committee discussion, offered a personal testimonial: her husband participated in a KU clinical trial for stage‑4 bladder cancer and has exceeded an earlier prognosis. The committee thanked Jensen for his presentation and moved to committee business.
The committee did not take action related to the cancer center; the presentation was informational.
