Medical Oncology Care at Rochester General Hospital

Rochester General Hospital has a long tradition in Medical Oncology dating back to the first use of chemotherapy treatments in the 1960s. The current Chemotherapy Infusion center was started under the direction of Dr Susan Rosenthal who led the Medical Oncology Unit from 1975-1998. The treatment center evolved from being a makeshift operation in a doctor’s office to an infusion suite in its current location in 1990. In 1998, the hematology Unit was merged into the Medical Oncology suite under the common direction of Dr Pradyumna Phatak. The space was expanded and renovated in 2000 to include 25 state of the art treatment stations for infusion and chemotherapy.

Today, the center treats over 1000 patients each month. Eight physicians and five nurse practitioners provide a wide range of expertise for a varying spectrum of disorders. Dr Phatak serves as the chief of the combined Hematology/ Medical Oncology unit. Dr Peter Bushunow is the Research Director and supervises the conduction of a wide range of clinical trials. The physicians are members of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B and participate in in-house and pharmaceutical sponsored trials. All the physicians have adjunct faculty appointments at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Collaboration with this NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center has resulted in access to cutting-edge technology and research for Rochester General’s cancer patients. Dr Julia Smith specializes in Palliative Care as well as breast cancer. Dr Zachary Kramer has over 15 years experience caring for a wide variety of cancer types. Dr John Phelan specializes in gastrointestinal tumors. Drs Kouides and Sham specialize in hematologic neoplasms.

The center offers an on-site phlebotomy draw-station to facilitate rapid turnaround of laboratory tests. An efficient scheduling system allows blood tests, doctor visits and chemotherapy treatments to be accurately and conveniently coordinated. An on-site full time social worker is available to provide supportive services, links to support groups and help with insurance and reimbursement issues.

The treatment philosophy of the Medical Oncology Unit focuses on the patients and their specific needs. The physicians and nurses are committed to providing state-of-the art care in an environment that facilitates spending enough one-on-one time with each patient in order to address not only their medical but also their emotional and psychosocial needs. The newly-renovated facility allows for this holistic approach to cancer care.

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