North Kansas City Hospital

Whether you’re ready for that first child, need a new knee, suffering from chronic pain or experiencing a life-threatening health problem, North Kansas City Hospital can help. An overview of each of our services is provided in this section of our website.

Change Text Size:

You don’t have to face cancer alone. For many in the Northland, we are their cancer fighting team. Our cancer care staff dedicates their lives to giving patients the best chance of beating cancer. We use the wonders of medical science along with old-fashioned human compassion and caring to help you become a cancer survivor.

Here, you get the exact kind of treatment and resources you need to fight cancer, including:

Access to quality care close to home

Comprehensive care with state-of-the-art services and equipment

A multi-specialty approach to coordinate the best treatment options

Highly trained and experienced cancer care professionals including nationally certified oncology nurses

Information about cancer clinical trials

Education and support

Lifelong patient follow-up through a cancer registry

Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care

Like many of the best cancer programs in the United States, North Kansas City Hospital’s cancer program is accredited by the prestigious Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. This accreditation requires a vigorous on-site review every three years to ensure the Hospital’s cancer program continues to uphold the group’s strict requirements.

Comprehensive Approach
When cancer strikes, it affects us not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. That's why our staff believes in a comprehensive approach to patient care. This team consists of your primary physician, specialized cancer care physicians, specially certified nurses, advanced trained pharmacists (PharmD), rehabilitation therapists, social workers, chaplains and dietitians.

Weekly tumor conferences bring together physicians in several specialties who use their years of experience and training to help ensure the most effective treatment plan for patients receiving care. Representatives from pathology, radiology, radiation oncology, surgery, medical oncology and other specialties contribute to the discussion. This input assists primary care physicians in making decisions regarding the best care options for their patients.

Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
When it comes to diagnosis and treatment of cancer, you can count on North Kansas City Hospital for competence...and compassion. You’ll receive the treatment most appropriate for your condition. What's more, we'll treat you with the sensitivity and kindness you deserve.
Early detection and diagnosis of cancer increases the odds of beating the disease. North Kansas City Hospital offers Positron-Emission Tomography (PET) technology. PET and Computerized Tomography (CT) help detect cancer. PET/CT scans distinguish otherwise invisible tumors and aid in diagnosing cancerous tumors, as well as monitoring the progress of cancer treatment.

Breast Care Program
If diagnostic testing reveals breast cancer, North Kansas City Hospital staff can offer patients a specialized program for early-stage breast cancer. The program was developed to give patients access to a surgeon and radiation oncologist within 48 to 72 hours after diagnosis. Anyone whose faced cancer knows waiting for the “what next” can be stressful. Now, we help ease those fears by connecting patients with cancer specialists who can give them the answers they need to decide those next steps. Another valuable member of the team is a nurse navigator (nurse specialist with advanced training) who helps coordinate the patient’s care, provide information and give emotional support.

Nurse Navigator
North Kansas City Hospital’s breast cancer patients benefit from a unique program led by nurse navigators (cancer care nurse specialists with advanced training). Each nurse navigator is dedicated to a breast cancer patient to help through all phases of diagnosis and treatment including access to:

Breast cancer prevention information

Early detection resources

State-of-the-art treatment

Intensive education

Supportive care including a breast cancer support group

Survivorship Center
North Kansas City Hospital's Survivorship Center "Now What!?" helps cancer survivors return to work and lifestyle activities by meeting the unique needs of each person. The Center, the first of its kind in the Kansas City area, is located in Medical Plaza North on the Hospital's campus. Whether you are newly diagnosed or a long-time survivor, some of the available services include fatigue management, nutrition counseling, lymphedema prevention and treatment, medication education and more. For further information, call 691-5197.

Cancer Fatigue
Fatigue doesn’t end after cancer treatment. North Kansas City Hospital started the first program in Kansas City to help individuals cope with fatigue both during and after treatment. A team involving cancer care nurses, pharmacists, dietitians, physical therapists, social workers and pastoral care work together to help the individual overcome the effects of cancer fatigue.

Outpatient Cancer Center
The Outpatient Cancer Center in Medical Plaza North provides a relaxing environment with natural light and private treatment rooms. Certified cancer care nurses provide therapies which range from chemotherapy, radiation therapy, intravenous (IV) administration, medication injections and IV antibiotics to blood product transfusions, chemotherapy, central line dressing changes and blood tests.

Treatment Modalities
Once cancer is detected, treatment methods can be as varied as the different types of cancer. Today's fight against cancer offers more options than in past years. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy remain the most common methods of fighting cancer. Newer approaches such as hormone therapy (drugs or surgery to block cancer-promoting hormones), targeted therapy (drugs specifically aimed at a marker on cancer cells) and biological therapy (natural and manmade substances to boost the immune system), also are available to patients through our comprehensive cancer program.

Surgery
Surgery is another weapon in the cancer-fighting arsenal as it’s used to:

obtain biopsies to aid in cancer diagnosis;

eliminate tissue to prevent cancer’s spread;

remove areas of organs, such as the colon, with small laproscopic incisions; and

perform outpatient surgeries for procedures like lumpectomies when only the cancerous lump is removed and the breast remains.

On the cutting edge of surgical services, North Kansas City Hospital was one of the first hospitals in Kansas City to use the daVinci robot for prostate surgery, a less intrusive and increasingly popular way to treat prostate cancer. Another option is implanting radioactive “seeds” that emit low-energy radiation into the prostate gland to kill the cancer without affecting the rest of the body.

Chemotherapy
Therapeutic chemotherapy, which uses drugs to attack and destroy cancer cells, is one of the most common ways to fight cancer. Hospital inpatients and outpatients benefit from chemotherapy administered by certified oncology nurses. Outpatients receive the convenience of therapy without an overnight stay in our Outpatient Cancer Center.

Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high energy rays to slow, stop or destroy cancer cells. It's a field characterized by technological advances which continue to increase the odds of beating cancer. North Kansas City Hospital offers a newer technology, IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy), which allows radiation to "wrap around" critical normal tissues which are best spared from radiation. With this technique, radiation dosage also is distributed in complex three-dimensional shapes to ensure better treatment coverage of the tumor.

Other radiation services include brachytherapy (radioactive implant) and radioisotope therapy (inject a radioactive substance into the blood stream). Lung, bone, brain, prostate and breast are the most commonly treated cancer sites. Radiation therapy services are located in the Outpatient Cancer Center in Medical Plaza North.

Pain Relief
New advances occur every day in cancer research, but some patients still may experience discomfort from their cancer or therapy. Some can cope without assistance while for others, pain interferes with the hope for a productive life. For those who need relief, our Pain Management services offer medications through epidurals, IVs, time-release skin patches or by mouth. Once the patient returns home, Home Health Services become involved in continuing pain control, as needed, to enhance quality of life.

Palliative Care
As part of a comprehensive cancer program, palliative care is critical as it relieves suffering and gives improvement in someone’s quality of life. Our palliative care team consists of nurses, a physician, chaplains, a social worker and other supportive staff (pharmacist, dietitian, and physical, occupational and speech therapists). The team’s goal is to relieve physical, emotional and spiritual suffering for each patient and family. Team members honor patients’ life experiences, values and beliefs, helping them recognize they have choices in their care. The group tries to bring comfort, compassion, more openness, privacy and dignity to each patient and family while easing fear and pain.

Palliative care encourages and helps loved ones be a part of the patient's care. During the patient's hospital stay, the palliative care team prepares family members for the physical and emotional changes that occur during the course of the serious illness and help them deal with unresolved issues.

Sometimes medical solutions simply aren't enough to conquer cancer, heart disease or other serious illnesses. When that occurs, North Kansas City Hospital wants to provide the support patients and families need to help patients live their remaining days in comfort and dignity.

Cancer Education and Support
Education is crucial to understanding and preventing cancer. North Kansas City Hospital invests in an active Community Education Program. Studies show proper eating habits, not smoking and regular exercise can help prevent cancer. Through its education classes, the Hospital offers land and water exercise classes, smoking cessation classes and a support group for people who have quit or are trying to quit smoking. Health fairs and screenings also promote cancer prevention and early diagnosis. Our health care professionals present wellness topics to area groups through a free speakers' bureau. And, Hospital staff members partner with the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute to provide educational literature and programs on preventing cancer and dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

Several support options also exist so patients and families can choose the help that is most comfortable for them after a cancer diagnosis. Support groups meet regularly for breast cancer patients, cancer survivors and their families. Cancer care nurses used their knowledge to put together free informational packets specific for particular diseases, such as lung cancer, one of the cancers most difficult to detect in the early stages. A Cancer Information Line also is an easy way for anyone to receive a call back from a cancer care nurse for further information on cancer care or the Hospital’s cancer services. To access the Cancer Information Line, call 816-691-5197.

Support Groups
North Kansas City Hospital staff reach out to the community through free support groups for cancer-specific topics. These groups are open to all interested individuals regardless of where they receive their cancer treatment. Unless noted, all classes meet on the first floor of Health Services Pavilion on the North Kansas City Hospital campus.

COOL (Cancer Opens Opportunities for Living) - provides support and education for cancer patients, friends and families.
Date: 1st Tuesday
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Registration: Call 816-691-5197 to register and for location.

Breast Cancer – Receive the help you need to cope with a breast cancer diagnosis.
Date: 1st Tuesday
Time: 5-6:30 p.m.
Location: 1st floor, Oregon Trail Room, North Kansas City Hospital
Registration: No registration required

Thyroid Cancer
Date: Last Monday
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
Location: 1st floor, Health Services Pavilion, North Kansas City Hospital campus
Registration: No registration required

Kids ROCK (Reaching Out Connecting with Kids) - offers support to kids of any age with a loved one diagnosed with cancer.
Call 816-691-5197 for dates, times and location.

Ex-Smokers
Date: 1st and 3rd Mondays
Time: 6-7 p.m.
Registration: Registration requested, 816-691-1688.

Tumor Registry
Knowledge is power, especially when you are dealing with a life-threatening illness. And knowledge is just what the Tumor Registry at North Kansas City Hospital provides for fighting cancer. Through the thorough collection and analysis of data about the Hospital's cancer patients, the Tumor Registry provides a wealth of information to help physicians determine treatment protocols and provide the very best cancer care possible. For more than 12 years, our Tumor Registry staff has been collecting and analyzing data on patients diagnosed or treated for cancer at North Kansas City Hospital. The program has registered more than 10,000 patients, whom it tracks throughout their lives. About 50 percent have been diagnosed with breast, lung or prostate cancer, the three most common cancers. Physicians, researchers and Hospital staff can access the data in our registry to help design cancer treatment strategies, as well as prevention techniques.

Clinical Trials
Nearly 200 National Cancer Institute-funded treatment and prevention trials are available to the Hospital's oncologists and their patients. Clinical trials benefit the patient by providing new treatment modalities for them to fight their cancer; these trials also advance medical science by providing much-needed information about new protocols. Clinical trials are continually assessed for safety and as ongoing trials conclude, new trials are added. A research nurse is on campus, Monday through Friday, conferring with oncologists daily.

Heartland Hematology/Oncology Associates
Kansas City Cancer Centers
Research GYN Oncology Associates, LLC
Therapeutic Radiologists, Inc.

Print This Page