Construction of a new cancer center in West Des Moines is directly linked to a growing number of cancer patients utilizing services locally and nationally, Mercy Medical Center’s president and CEO said in a press release.

David Vellinga, Mercy president and CEO, said demand for radiation oncology services delivered by the skilled physicians and staff was a main motivator in the new center, to be called Mercy Cancer Center – West Lakes. The number of cancer patients treated at Mercy Medical Center and the Mercy Cancer Center has grown by 50 percent in just six years, the release said. By the year 2020, the number of new cancer cases nationally is expected to grow by 38 percent.

The hospital has officially begun construction on the new center, to be located at 12497 University Ave. in Clive. The facility will be owned by Ladco Development Inc. and will be part of the Ladco Wellness Campus, which is being developed at the same site. The two-story, 35,000-square-foot building will include the 16,000-square-foot Mercy Cancer Center. It is expected to be open in late 2008.