Major health system makes $401M commitment to transforming cancer care in N.J.

Penn Medicine is building a $401 million cancer facility that aims to expand access for Central Jersey residents.

The health system broke ground on the new Princeton Cancer Center Monday, located on the campus of Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro.

The four-story, 200,000-square-foot center is scheduled to open in May 2028.

“The Penn Medicine Princeton Cancer Center will help us deliver cutting-edge research and clinical innovations to Central New Jersey, ensuring care that is close to home, carefully coordinated, and deeply compassionate,” said Kevin B. Mahoney, chief executive officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, in a statement.

The new facility will deliver a full spectrum of cancer services. It will have more than 40 exam rooms, 30 infusion chairs, and respite areas for patients. It will also feature a breast cancer imaging center, new radiation therapy technology, and advanced diagnostic tools to help physicians detect cancer earlier and treat it with more precision. Patients will also have access to clinical trials.

The cancer center will be staffed by disease-specific physicians and multidisciplinary teams working together with experts from the Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia, also part of Penn Medicine.

The project aims to ease the burden of travel on cancer patients by creating a regional facility where they can get all their care under one roof.

“This is a significant first step in our efforts to redefine cancer care in Central New Jersey,” said James Demetriades, CEO for Penn Medicine Princeton Health, in the statement. “The Penn Medicine Princeton Cancer Center will offer patients seamless access to clinical trials, personalized therapies, and coordinated care across our entire health system.”

The project represents the largest expansion of Princeton Health in more than a decade. The Plainsboro hospital opened in 2012 and replaced the former Princeton Medical Center hospital in downtown Princeton.

Patients can also be connected to advanced services, such as proton therapy or specialized surgery, that are provided at other Penn Medicine locations.

Penn Medicine employs nearly 49,000 faculty and staff, according to its website. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System serves patients from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania all the way to the Jersey Shore. Its facilities include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Doylestown Health, Lancaster General Health, Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital.