Several specialties at Kansas University Hospital earned top national rankings in the latest U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals list, which is scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

The hospital is also ranked No. 1 in the Kansas City metro area.

KU Hospital earned the following national rankings: 44th for cancer, 39th for cardiology and heart surgery, 31st for ear, nose and throat, 35th for gastroenterology; 37th for nephrology; and 29th for pulmonology.

The hospital’s gastroenterology and cancer programs were listed for the first times. The hospital was also nationally ranked in six categories last year, up from three in 2009 and one in 2008.

KU Hospital was also listed as “high-performing” in six other areas: diabetes and endocrinology, geriatrics, gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics and urology.

The rankings demonstrate the depth and breadth of services received at an academic medical center, said Bob Page, KU Hospital’s chief executive officer.

“What it is is just a validation of the care that our patients see every day,” he said.

Page said he was particularly pleased to see the hospital performing well in the categories in which data were collected for the survey was based on patient outcomes.

“I’m a whole lot less concerned about the categories where you’re measured on your reputation,” he said.