A Medical Oncologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancer with medication including chemotherapy. A Hematologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders.

Our providers located in the SOMC Cancer Center are Methuku Nanda, MD, Chad Lore NP-C, ACHPN and Yinong Liu, MD, PhD.

• Dr. Methuku is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.
• Dr. Liu is board certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, and Hematology.
• Chad Lore is a Certified Nurse Practitioner with a special training in oncology, hematology, and he is a certified palliative care specialist.

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Initial Oncology Consult

Your care will start with an initial consult with one of our providers. Upon entering our facility you will be greeted by our friendly support staff. They will assist you and start you through the beginning of our process. You will receive a folder with a questionnaire to fill out along with information about our services offered and instructions regarding our
SOMC Cancer Center patient portal.

Next, you will spend some time with one of our oncology nurses prior to seeing your provider. While visiting the center your provider will make time to ensure that you understand your treatment plan or recommendations and you will have time to ask questions. You will leave the SOMC Cancer Center with a good understanding of the plan you and your provider have decided upon and will be given an appointment card with date and time to return for your next visit, whether that is for an infusion, lab work, tests ordered by your provider, or a follow visit with your provider.

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Infusion

If your plan of care consists of infusions you will be welcomed to our infusion area by our genuinely caring nurses who will help make you comfortable in a relaxing recliner or a private room. Prior to the beginning of your treatment, your nurse will help you feel at home and make sure you are aware of your surroundings such as where the restrooms are located, and offer you a warm blanket for your comfort during your treatment.

Once you are comfortable, we want to make sure you completely understand what to expect. Your nurse will start by reviewing the medications your provider has ordered and review all information you may have questions about. Once your concerns have been addressed and put to ease you can expect the nurse to start the process of giving you your medication as your provider has ordered.

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Discharge

When your infusion is complete, your nurse will provide you with discharge instructions, answer all questions you may have and give an appointment card so you will know when you are scheduled to come back for your next visit here at the SOMC Cancer Center. Our goal is to provide accurate, consistent, state of the art treatment to our patients. We provide an opportunity for suggestions and requests throughout your treatment and welcome all responses.

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Lab

The patient is at the heart of our care. Everything that we do focuses on what’s best and most convenient for you. We have a lab here at the SOMC Cancer Center which is staffed with highly skilled Medical Laboratory Technicians who are very experienced in their work and do a wonderful job. This allows us to obtain and process our own blood work at the center. Doing so decreases patient wait time prior to chemotherapy and produces the results immediately for the provider. In most cases the provider will review your lab results while you wait.

Having a lab on site gives us the opportunity to offer a few convenient options for the patients we take care of here. For instance, if your oncologist has ordered a special urine or stool test, you have the option of bringing your specimen here to the SOMC Cancer Center where there is convenient parking available. Our Medical Laboratory Technicians will complete the necessary process once you have delivered the specimen to them.

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Bone Marrow Biopsy

In some cases your oncologist will need to obtain a bone marrow biopsy to make a precise diagnosis. A bone marrow biopsy is the removal of a sample of bone marrow and a small amount of bone through a large needle. This procedure is done by your oncologist. At the SOMC Cancer Center we have a procedure room designed specifically for the bone marrow biopsy procedure. If this is something your oncologist recommends he will review, in great detail, what this entails and have the nurse schedule an appointment for you.

Our Medical Oncologists have a vast amount of experience with this procedure and are the very best at what they do. Upon completion of the bone marrow biopsy the patient will stay in the procedure room, with their family if they wish, for about an hour just as a safety measure to ensure no active bleeding is present. You can expect to be here at the SOMC Cancer Center for approximately 1 to 2 hours for the entire procedure from start to finish.

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Pharmacy

Our pharmacy here at the SOMC Cancer Center is staffed with the most precise, thorough and intelligent Pharmacist and Pharmacy Technicians a person could expect. Both are very knowledgeable in their fields and carry years of experience.

One of the advantages of having a pharmacy on site staffed with such great people is the convenience of having them available to share information. It is very helpful, after you speak with your Physician to have the opportunity to speak with other staff that is just as familiar with the medication your Physician has prescribed. The Pharmacist is the specialist when it comes to all the different medications, preparing of the medication and the side effects that may be related to the medications.

The SOMC Cancer Center Pharmacist is very much a people person and loves to share and discuss all aspects related to the medication with those who are interested in learning and have questions. When you think of a question to one of your unknown medications or complex treatments, you can expect our Pharmacy staff will find an answer that will be explained so that it is easy to understand.

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Who do you call if you have questions?

Call the SOMC Cancer Center at (740) 356-7490 or toll free 1-888-722-8787, or e-mail us if you have oncology questions.

The SOMC Cancer Center accepts self-referral if you have a diagnosis of cancer. If you do not have a diagnosis of cancer or you have a hematology disorder that you would like to be evaluated for, please have your family physician or other physician specialist set up an appointment with Dr. Methuku or Dr. Liu.