UT Southwestern breaks ground in Fort Worth on $177M expansion to cancer center
UT Southwestern Medical Center broke ground Monday in Fort Worth on a $177 million campus focused on cancer care.
The 65,000-square-foot radiation oncology campus in Fort Worth will provide advanced therapies for patients, including the city’s first MRI-guided precision radiation treatment. Expected to open in 2028, the campus will be connected to the UT Southwestern’s Moncrief Cancer Institute, at 400 W. Magnolia Ave. in the Medical District.
“This milestone, once completed, will ensure that Tarrant County residents have access to the best available cancer care, combining the latest advances in medical technology with the expertise of our clinicians and researchers, who are some of the top cancer specialists in the country,” Daniel Podolsky, president of the UT Southwestern Medical Center, said in a press release.
The expansion to UT Southwestern’s cancer center will make it the largest radiation oncology center in the Fort Worth area, making treatment more accessible for the two-thirds of cancer patients who need radiation therapy.
“Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and our high quality of life is a major driver of that growth,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said in a statement. “To continue to meet this moment, we need world-class health and cancer care. We know UT Southwestern is at the center of that.”
The radiation oncology campus will feature:
▪ Four linear accelerators to deliver precise radiation treatments to patients, with space to add two more to meet future demand.
▪ MRI-guided precision radiation treatment — the first of its kind in Fort Worth.
▪ Positron emission tomography imaging, which is critical for accurately diagnosing and evaluating tumor growth.
▪ A fully equipped brachytherapy suite to provide high-dose radiation treatments for patients with prostate or gynecologic cancers.
Much of the funding for the expansion came from UT Austin alumni Sherri and Robert Patton Jr. of Fort Worth. Patton, an oil and gas investor and part owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his wife have made extensive contributions to UT Austin, Baylor University and UT Southwestern.
“Fort Worth is one of the greatest cities in America,” Sherri Patton said in a press release. “It should have great cancer care. This expansion will bring cutting-edge technology and vital health care to our community.”
UT Southwestern is one of the nation’s premier academic medical centers. Its cancer center ranks in the Top 25 out of 4,500 hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
UT Southwestern’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas and one of only 57 in the nation.