Expanded Gibbs Cancer Center to open March 16.

With a seven-story, $72 million expansion set to open on March 16, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System's Gibbs Cancer Center plans to offer patients treatment beyond traditional chemotherapy and radiation.

At a ribbon-cutting held Thursday, staff unveiled the 191,000-square-foot expansion. The center includes a new physical therapy gym, patient accessible-kitchen, retail shop featuring wigs and prosthesis-fitting services and an on-site outpatient pharmacy. The facility offers radiation, medical and surgical oncology along with cyber knife technologies, centralized lab services, genetic counseling and an integrative medicine center.

"We're blessed in the Upstate to have a world-class cancer center here that enables patients not to have to travel far," said Tony Kouskolekas, Pelham Medical Center's president. "They are able to get first-quality opinions and recommendations on cancer care, and what makes us a little different is that our doctors are committed to what we call multi-disciplinary care. Historically, they have gotten together to discuss someone's case once someone was diagnosed with cancer. Now, the design of this building will allow them to come together while patients are in the building for multidisciplinary clinics, so that patients can get opinions from multiple providers while they are here for one visit."

Kouskolekas expects that the center will bring 80 jobs to the area in its first stages, but notes that there is plenty of room to grow as needed.

"To be involved with the planning of this and working with our cancer team has just been another great facet...