The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is expanding its cancer care facilities through the addition of two new buildings—totaling a $3.4 billion investment.
The new facilities, dubbed Inspiration Tower and Prism, will make up nearly two million square feet and allow for MD Anderson to care for nearly 250,000 patients annually, executives say. The expansion is funded by UT MD Anderson and its philanthropic support.
“Every detail of these buildings, from the technology to the treatment rooms, was designed around our patients who will receive their care in them and our employees who will work in them,” said Jeffrey Lee, M.D., UT MD Anderson president ad interim, in a statement. “The facilities will serve as a physical representation of hope for the patients and their families who will walk through the doors.”
Lee said the two new facilities are the “future of cancer care,” adding the organization is grateful for support and guidance from the UT System Board of Regents.
“These facilities are part of the most impactful capital expansion in UT MD Anderson’s history,” Lee said.
Inspiration Tower will feature disease-specific clinics, with up to 330 exam rooms, 184 short-stay beds, 162 ambulatory treatment stations, 56 imaging rooms, 24 operating rooms and 38 procedure rooms. It is slated to open in 2032.
The 1.4 million-square-foot tower will feature 25 floors, making it the largest cancer-focused clinical facility in the U.S., according to a Nov. 5 press release.
Connected to Inspiration Tower by a skybridge, Prism will be a 292,000-square-foot hub dedicated to radiation oncology and diagnostic imaging. The facility will serve up to 150,000 patients annually and will feature 12 MRI machines, four CT scanners, two PET-CT units, 18 radiation units and seven radiation simulators, the release said.
Prism is scheduled to open in 2030.
“Every patient we treat deserves an environment that reflects the excellence of the care they receive at UT MD Anderson,” said Chris McKee, UT MD Anderson EVP and chief strategy officer, in a statement. “Our new facilities will be innovative, agile, adaptable and beautiful, and they will allow us to care for more patients, more effectively – in an environment that enhances healing and well-being. We are building for our future and for every patient who will be counting on us.”