Michael LaPelusa, MD

Michael LaPelusa, MD

Hematologist and Medical Oncologist
MidAmerica Cancer Care, Kansas City

Michael LaPelusa, MD, is a hematologist and medical oncologist at MidAmerica Cancer Care in Kansas City, a practice affiliated with the American Oncology Network. He cares for adults across the full range of cancers and blood disorders, both malignant and benign, at clinics in the Kansas City metro and western Missouri.

He completed his fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he served as chief fellow for the oncology service at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital and was named the 2026 Hematology/Oncology Fellow of the Year. He completed internal medicine residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine as a member of its inaugural class. He is board certified in internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Clinical practice

Solid tumor oncology, including breast, gastrointestinal, lung, and genitourinary cancers; hematologic malignancies; benign hematology, including anemias, cytopenias, thrombophilia, and anticoagulation management; supportive and palliative oncology care; and new-diagnosis and second-opinion consultations.

Research and writing

His research focuses on how circulating tumor DNA and other liquid biopsies can be used in the care of patients with gastrointestinal cancers, including work on immunotherapy in mismatch repair deficient tumors published in Nature Communications (2025) and presented at ASCO and ESMO. Publications are listed on Google Scholar, PubMed, and ORCID.

He writes about multi-cancer early detection blood tests at Before Stage One, a website and newsletter for investors, industry, and clinicians.

Training and certification

Profiles

Contact

For appointments, call the clinic locations listed above. For media, speaking, or research inquiries, send a message on LinkedIn.