Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey unveils plans for new Cancer Pavilion (updated)

Plans for a new cancer pavilion in New Brunswick were announced Tuesday by the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey that will result in the consolidation of services into a single Cancer Pavilion, and will allow for the consolidation of key cancer services into a single location including laboratory services, an outpatient clinic, infusion/chemotherapy suite, radiation oncology, imaging, and international radiology.

The new Pavilion will be a 12-story structure on Somerset Street, comprised of approximately 510,000 square feet.

The total project budget is estimated at $750 million, resulting in 1,000 construction jobs and employing approximately 500-600 people according to Chris Paladino, president of DEVCO, the New Brunswick Development Corp.  Paladino told NJBIZ that the anticipated groundbreaking is scheduled for late Fall 2020 with completion 36-months later.

Paladino said that it will be the first comprehensive Cancer center in the state that will also have inpatient facilities and inpatient surgical facilities.

“With New Jersey consistently ranked in the top ten for cancer incidence it is imperative that the residents of our state and region have access to a world-class inpatient and outpatient cancer care facility such as the new cancer pavilion,” said Dr. Steven Libutti, director, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and senior vice president, oncology services, RWJBarnabas Health. “This landmark facility will create an environment conducive to exceptional patient care and experience, and provide research facilities for groundbreaking discoveries – further enhancing our role as the state’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Given the large number of people diagnosed with cancer each year, we are already behind schedule. Cancer can’t wait.”

The new facility will provide for the development of New Jersey’s only oncology inpatient hospital and will expand service offerings to cancer patients – including the creation of a new oncology urgent care center to reduce avoidable and costly ER visits – and will provide access to multidisciplinary clinics.

The project includes:

• Development of new Cancer Pavilion building
• Renovations to the existing Cancer Institute
• Bridge connection from the new Cancer Pavilion to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
• Bridge connection from the new Cancer Pavilion to the existing Cancer Institute

The new Cancer Pavilion is broadly organized into three primary components: Outpatient Care (including treatment and clinical components); Inpatient Care and Research.

Outpatient Care will consist of 84 infusion bays, 74 exam rooms, advanced radiology including four linear accelerators, diagnostic equipment including CT, MRI, Mammogram and other equipment with core laboratory and pharmacy facilities and outpatient urgent care.

Inpatient Care will include 96 inpatient beds on three floors, a dedicated floor for surgical and procedure rooms (up to 11 total),  a central sterile processing area, and inpatient support spaces.

Research will include wet lab facilities and equipment necessary to support 10 research teams (with each research team to be comprised of between four and eight members), clinical trial offices and faculty offices.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 12:40 p.m. EST on Feb. 5, 2020 to include comments from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Director and RWJBarnabas Health Senior Vice President, Oncology Services Dr. Steven Libutti.