The Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital broke ground on the new Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center in south county.

Situated on the southeast corner of the intersection of Interstate 55 and Butler Hill Road, the new facility will provide comprehensive outpatient cancer care that is more convenient for patients living in south county and the surrounding area, according to a news release. Construction is expected to be complete by early 2013, with patient appointments beginning soon after that.

“We are looking forward to providing more convenient care to our many patients in the south county area,” Dr. Timothy Eberlein, Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin distinguished professor and director of the Siteman Cancer Center, stated in the re-lease. “As the largest provider of cancer care in the region, we want patients from south county to be able to see their physicians and receive treatment closer to their homes and families.”

Patients will have access to initial consultations, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and clinical trials. Surgeons also will provide consultations at the new facility.

Dr. Bruce Roth, professor of medicine, will be the director of medical oncology at the new location. Dr. Parag Parikh, assistant professor of radiation oncology, will serve as director of radiation oncology.

Roth, a board-certified medical oncologist, specializes in providing established and novel treatments for prostate, testicular, bladder and kidney cancers. He earned a medical degree from St. Louis University in 1980 and served on the medical faculty at Indiana University and Vanderbilt University before joining Washington University in 2010.

Parikh, board-certified in radiation oncology, specializes in gastrointestinal, genitourinary and thoracic cancers. His research and clinical care focus on using new technologies to pinpoint tumor locations, including methods such as electromagnetic tracking and new uses of CT and MRI. He earned a medical degree in 2001 from Washington University School of Medicine, where he also did his residency.

At 37,000 square feet, the cost of the facility currently is estimated to be $27.5 million, including furniture and equipment. BSA LifeStructures is the architecture and engineering firm for the project. Paric Construction is managing construction.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital will place a linear accelerator in the new facility to provide the most advanced radiation therapy, and Washington University will operate an infusion center for chemotherapy.

The medical staff are all Washington University physicians who specialize in treating specific types of cancer, the news re-lease stated.

Siteman is ranked as one of the top cancer centers in the country, and the same physicians treating patients on the main campus will treat patients at the south county location using the same innovative technology and state-of-the-art treatment devices as are utilized at the Washington University Medical Center and the main Siteman location, according to the news re-lease.

The cancer care will be multidisciplinary, with physicians from radiation oncology, medical oncology and surgery all practicing together in the same location. The team approach will allow patients to see as many as three physicians in one trip and have their entire treatment plan determined in one visit.

The new site is close to I-55 and includes parking close to the building.

At about 16 acres, the site also provides green space for patients and their families to enjoy, including land set aside for a future healing garden.