Oncologists at Dana Farber, John Hopkins , NY Presbyterian Hospital or Sloane Kettering.

Brenda3.16
Brenda3.16 Member Posts: 209
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I am looking for information from anyone who has had any personal experience with any of these cancer centers. I have a local oncologist in a small town in NE PA who I really like and have been very happy with. I was affliated with an ONC at Sloane for the first 9 months of my treatment. I would go to her every 2 months for appointments and scans and my local oncologist would carry out the plan. Everything she did was very standard. I found her personality really difficult to deal with. I don't doubt that she is an excellent doctor.

I am looking for a doctor at a larger facility who is caring and compassionate. Does anyone have any experiences with any of the facilities I mentioned ?

Thank You,
Brenda

Comments

  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    #2
    Sloan Kettering
    My onc is Dr. KiYoung Chung; my onc-surgeon is Dr. Paty; both excellent to work with, caring and compassionate.

    May I ask who you've been working with? I've heard some mixed things about the other drs, tho Dr. O'reilly is supposed to be one of the best.
  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    #3
    Hmmm
    Sounds like Dr Kemeny at Sloan. I have her and while I don't get hugs from her, she is one of the best out there IMO. She helped pioneer HAI pump therapy and if it were not for her I would not be here today. She is all business but I've never had a bad experience with her. I am not paying for (or looking for) warm and fuzzy with my oncologist. I am looking for the best. The rest of her team supplies the warm and fuzzies. She does see twice the number of patients that most oncologists see who work there. Everyone else that I know who sees her thinks highly of her as do other doctors that I've dealt with. She is a "can-do" person. I like that.
    -phil
  • Brenda3.16
    Brenda3.16 Member Posts: 209
    #4
    PhillieG said:

    Hmmm
    Sounds like Dr Kemeny at Sloan. I have her and while I don't get hugs from her, she is one of the best out there IMO. She helped pioneer HAI pump therapy and if it were not for her I would not be here today. She is all business but I've never had a bad experience with her. I am not paying for (or looking for) warm and fuzzy with my oncologist. I am looking for the best. The rest of her team supplies the warm and fuzzies. She does see twice the number of patients that most oncologists see who work there. Everyone else that I know who sees her thinks highly of her as do other doctors that I've dealt with. She is a "can-do" person. I like that.
    -phil

    Thank you both for replying.
    Thank you both for replying. It is a difficult decision to make. I am trying to gather as much personal input as I can before I make my next move.

    Brenda
  • geotina
    geotina Member Posts: 2,111 Member
    #5
    Brenda
    We are in Michigan and have no experience with the facilities you are checking out, just wanted to wish you the best as you explore these facilities and make your next move.

    Take care - Tina
  • Brenda3.16
    Brenda3.16 Member Posts: 209
    #6
    geotina said:

    Brenda
    We are in Michigan and have no experience with the facilities you are checking out, just wanted to wish you the best as you explore these facilities and make your next move.

    Take care - Tina

    Thanks Tina. I am glad
    Thanks Tina. I am glad George is doing well. I always follow your posts. George and I were DX at the same time with similar cases. I was glad to see that you have been traveling and doing lots of fun things. Brenda
  • abrub
    abrub Member Posts: 2,174 Member
    #7
    Brenda3.16 said:

    Thank you both for replying.
    Thank you both for replying. It is a difficult decision to make. I am trying to gather as much personal input as I can before I make my next move.

    Brenda

    Among the things I've liked at MSK
    My drs (Chung and Paty) have been happy to work with my local oncologists, to minimize the frequency of my visits to NYC. I also like the fact that Dr. Paty considers other options - he sent an acquaintance to Dr. Bartlett in Pittsburgh for HIPEC because MSK doesn't do HIPEC, and Paty thought it best for her case. He and Dr. Chung work with me and my team of drs from home to ensure the best care.

    (I had one of my local drs do my recent surgical follow-up, which Paty appreciated. Don't have to go back to MSK until October.)
  • tabur
    tabur Member Posts: 71 Member
    #8
    Hi Brenda
    Sorry we have no first hand experience with the places you mention. We live in Central PA and Pam is being treated at the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University in Washington DC. It's only 3 hours from us...heading back down this Thursday for her second TACE treatment. If Lombardi interests you and is within your range let me know...I can provide you with some info.

    Best to you...

    Al
  • Brenda3.16
    Brenda3.16 Member Posts: 209
    #9
    tabur said:

    Hi Brenda
    Sorry we have no first hand experience with the places you mention. We live in Central PA and Pam is being treated at the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University in Washington DC. It's only 3 hours from us...heading back down this Thursday for her second TACE treatment. If Lombardi interests you and is within your range let me know...I can provide you with some info.

    Best to you...

    Al

    Thanks Al,
    Lombardi would be
    Thanks Al,

    Lombardi would be farther and more difficult for me to get to. But I am willing to travel to find the perfect place.

    In a previous post of yours you said that your ONC referred you to someone at John Hopkins who referred you to Georgetown. What did you think of that Dr at John Hopkins ?

    How has your experience at the Lombardi Center going so far ?

    How is Pam making out with the TACE treatments.

    Thanks for the information,

    Brenda
  • dschreffler
    dschreffler Member Posts: 58 Member
    #10
    Hi Brenda,
    Not sure were
    Hi Brenda,

    Not sure were you are in NE PA, but found Scranton based Dr Hyzinski to be fantastic. I explored MSCC and Hopkins for both oncology and surgery and chose to stay local as they were in line with "the big cities" and published protocols I researched. Actually, I found local folk to be more progressive in surgical options for me anyway. and did not see a reason to travel.
  • wifeandmom
    wifeandmom Member Posts: 31
    #11
    dschreffler said:

    Hi Brenda,
    Not sure were
    Hi Brenda,

    Not sure were you are in NE PA, but found Scranton based Dr Hyzinski to be fantastic. I explored MSCC and Hopkins for both oncology and surgery and chose to stay local as they were in line with "the big cities" and published protocols I researched. Actually, I found local folk to be more progressive in surgical options for me anyway. and did not see a reason to travel.

    Hopkins surgeon
    Hi Brenda,
    Though my oncologist is local (Maryland, in the DC suburbs), my surgeon is at Johns Hopkins. His name is Jonathan Efron and I think he's terrific, as is the rest of his team and the hospital itself (though I can't speak to the cancer center since my chemo and radiation were done locally). Best wishes to you as you select your treatment team from here forward.
    Regards,
    Dorothy
  • tabur
    tabur Member Posts: 71 Member
    #12
    Brenda3.16 said:

    Thanks Al,
    Lombardi would be
    Thanks Al,

    Lombardi would be farther and more difficult for me to get to. But I am willing to travel to find the perfect place.

    In a previous post of yours you said that your ONC referred you to someone at John Hopkins who referred you to Georgetown. What did you think of that Dr at John Hopkins ?

    How has your experience at the Lombardi Center going so far ?

    How is Pam making out with the TACE treatments.

    Thanks for the information,

    Brenda

    Hi Brenda
    Sorry I didn't see this earlier. We are at Georgetown as I write this. Pam had her second TACE treatment yesterday and was discharged today. I booked an extra night at the Georgetown Inn and she has been sleeping most of the day. Lots of nausea. If it's like last time, the nausea will pass soon and then some pain in her liver area accompanied by fever. It took a week and a half for her to feel somewhat normal after her first treatment 4 weeks ago. The Dr who did the procedure showed me some images from 4 weeks ago and ones from yesterday. There was definate shrinkage of the large tumor he treated the first round. The drug eluding beads "light up" and show the outline of the tumor. I find this treatment very interesting, just wish I didn't know the patient. Yesterday, he treated the largest tumor and warned me that it would "knock her down".

    Her primary onc is associated with JH but when he looked at trials, he suggested Lombardi and never did refer us to anyone at JH. Sorry I can't help you there and I apologize for any confusion.

    As for Georgetown, they have been great. Dr. Sharma is one of the nicest people we have ever met. He explains everthing fully, patiently answers all questions, and puts Pam at ease. We couldn't give him a higher recommendation.

    From you, GT is about 50 minutes further than JH. Getting here is a pain but once here, I leave the car parked. Parking is $6 per day (with validation) and the Patient Advacocy gets our room for $119 per night. For the TACE, we came down the day before and are leaving the day after discharge, total of 3 nights. Not cheap but I believe it is better for both of us, especially Pam.

    Hope this helps Brenda. If you find something at JH I would say to go for it. We would have. Keep GT in you pocket in case you need it though.

    Best to you...

    Al

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