KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) After nearly a decade of working toward becoming a National Cancer Institute facility, the University of Kansas Cancer Center was ready to announce it has obtained that designation.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and a number of Kansas lawmakers were scheduled to be on hand for the announcement Thursday afternoon at the Robert E. Hemenway Life Sciences Innovation Center in Kansas City, Kan.
Officials say the NCI designation will bring additional federal research money to the university and give patients access to clinical trials that are available only at NCI centers.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, says having an NCI center in Kansas will help cancer patients get cutting-edge treatment without having to make long treks to other states.
