Medical Oncology
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New Patient Specialty Clinic
A visit to CTCA at Southwestern Regional Medical Center (Southwestern) begins with the New Patient Specialty Clinic. After speaking on the phone with your Nurse Navigator, who will help coordinate your first visit to the hospital from a clinical perspective, you'll meet with one of our Intake physicians.
In addition to reviewing your medical records, your Intake physician will perform your evaluation and order any additional needed scans, tests or blood work. Your Intake physician will work with your clinicians to help manage any non-cancer related health issues, such as diabetes or high blood pressure.
Your Intake physician will then transfer your oncology care to your medical oncologist to develop your treatment plan. After you receive your treatment plan, your Nurse Navigator will transfer the coordination of your care to your care management team.
The Medical Oncology Team
Medical Oncologist & Hematologist Ritwick Panicker, MD, FACP
The medical oncologists at Southwestern are determined to find the best treatment for each patient. They thoroughly review your medical history and current condition and offer recommendations for your cancer treatment.
Whether a patient comes in newly diagnosed or for a second opinion, CTCA can offer new options for cancer treatment. As Dr. Petra Ketterl points out, “We’re used to looking at a patient’s cancer with fresh eyes to see if there’s something else we can do to treat it.”
Our oncologists emphasize the importance of getting a second opinion. By taking another look at the same information your doctor sees, we may discover ways to treat the disease.
Dr. Ketterl adds: “It’s really important to look at all of the details—the patient’s scans, labs, what’s happened before, and more. Then you really have to make an individualized decision based on studies, as well as if and how the patient has been treated previously.”
Individualized Approach
Our doctors recognize what is appropriate for treating one person’s cancer may not be for another.
As Dr. Ketterl notes: “What people often don’t realize is that not any one cancer is the same as another. Even for a person with the same type of cancer, the situation may be different.”
Standard treatment pathways are applicable in a lot of cases, but at Southwestern, we don’t settle for a "standard approach" to cancer care. We dig deeper to try to find as many options as we possibly can. Our oncologists are creative thinkers and problem solvers who make recommendations for cancer treatment based on your individual needs.
Our care teams also see a large number of patients with advanced-stage and complex cancers, so our clinical teams have experience in treating patients with cancers that may not have responded to previous treatments and require an innovative approach.
Chemotherapies
Our medical oncologists deliver a wide variety of chemotherapy options which may help to reduce side effects and toxicity. These chemotherapy deliveries options include:
- Chemoembolization
- Hepatic Arterial Chemoembolization
- Portal Vein Embolization
- Bland Chemoembolization
- Chronotherapy
- Continuous Infusion Chemotherapy
- High-Dose Chemotherapy
- Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)
- Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy
- Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy
- Intrathecal Chemotherapy
- Intratumoral Chemotherapy
- Maintenance Chemotherapy
- Metronomic Chemotherapy
- Metronome
- Chronomodulated Therapy
Immunotherapies
Sometimes, chemotherapy is used in combination with other drug therapies, such as immunotherapies (also called biotherapies), to enhance its effects. The following are examples of immunotherapies we provide:
- Hematopoietic Growth Factors
- Interferons
- Interleukins
- Monoclonal Antibodies
- Provenge® (for prostate cancer)
- Yervoy™ (for metastatic melanoma)
Innovative Treatments
Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC)
Southwestern offers Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC). In this procedure, chemotherapy is delivered directly to the abdomen, immediately following surgery, to debulk a tumor.
Intratumoral Chemotherapy
We offer intratumoral chemotherapy as a pancreatic cancer treatment. This adjuvant treatment is comprised of a series of four weekly injections and a follow-up CT scan to gauge results. Using Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS), we can reach the pancreas and inject chemotherapy directly into the tumor. The procedure aims to shrink the tumor, decrease pain, improve quality of life and possibly prevent further metastatic disease from occurring.
Provenge®
Southwestern became one of the first sites in Oklahoma to offer the FDA-approved immunotherapy vaccine, Provenge, for metastatic prostate cancer. The Provenge drug is unique in that it uses the patient’s own tissues to create an individualized treatment to fight prostate cancer.
Empowering Patients
Our oncologists believe in patient empowerment. They provide clear information and work with you to select treatments that are right for you.
Dr. Ketterl says: "My job is as a consultant to the patient, to relay information about their situation and explain the options. Together, we then choose the best-suited approach to each patient's treatment."
You and your caregiver also enjoy greater comfort and convenience by meeting with your care team in one room. Our Patient Empowered Care® clinic brings your medical oncologist, clinic nurse, registered dietitian, naturopathic clinician and nurse care manager to you. Providers come to you, one right after another, for a focused, seamless visit.
Each time you meet with your medical oncologist, your entire Patient Empowered Care team is automatically scheduled to meet with you as well, so you don’t have to worry about scheduling or finding time for additional appointments. You may also meet with clinicians from your extended care team as needed.
