Oncology
Hours
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Physician on call for urgent matters 24/7
Contact Number
Phone: (670) 234-8950 - ask for the Northern Marianas Oncology Center; after hours ask for the oncologist on call
(670) 234-8951 - Press 4 for the Oncology Department
Fax: (670) 233-0050
Make an appointment
Usually your primary care physician or surgeon will refer you to the Northern Marianas Oncology Center, and we will call you to schedule an appointment. If you have a cancer and do not have a regular physician, call (670) 234-8950 and ask for the Northern Marianas Oncology Center; we will obtain your records and schedule an appointment for you.
Having cancer is always life changing for patients, their families, and their close community. At the Northern Marianas Oncology Center at CHCC, we promise to provide compassionate, state-of-the-art cancer care for our patients, with the twin goals of improving quality of life and length of life. When it is possible to cure our patient’s cancer, we will put forth every effort to maximize the chance of cure. We try to understand the patient’s social situation, and how that will affect the patient’s understanding of the cancer and how treatment may affect them
In 2021, the Northern Marianas Oncology Center opened the Comprehensive Cancer Screening and Prevention Program to serve all residents living in the CNMI. The goal of the program is to screen for and prevent common cancers, so that we will have less cancer in the CNMI, and if cancer develops, it will be caught at an earlier stage. This unique program provides cancer prevention counseling and vaccines, as well as screening advice and testing, with follow-up of results. This program is available to all people who live in the CNMI. To schedule an appointment with a health care provider for a cancer screening and prevention visit, please call 670-234-8950 and ask for Oncology, or the Cancer Screening Program. Your health insurance will typically cover the cost. If no health insurance, the hospital will typically provide these services at no cost to you.
The Oncology Center also has a Palliative Care Program. For patients who have advanced cancer, we help with:
- Symptoms from the cancer, including pain
- Goals of care
- Comfort at the end of life if the end of life is near
- Medical, dietary, and social support
Our Palliative Care Program focuses on helping with these issues and more. Often, our palliative care providers and nurses can make home visits to our patients if needed.
Forms
Services
State-of-the-art outpatient treatment right here at CHCC. We will treat a patient’s cancer with medications, when appropriate, with the goals to cure the cancer, shrink the cancer to improve quality of life, or prevent cancer from returning (relapsing) with:
- The most advanced chemotherapy treatment available
- The most advanced oral treatment targeted to cancer mutations available
- The most advanced immunotherapy treatment and treatment combinations available (stimulating the patient’s immune system to attack the cancer)
Review of tissue biopsies with our pathologists to ensure accurate diagnosis
Advanced molecular analysis of tissue biopsies that can allow for targeted treatments
Advanced imaging with CT scans, ultrasound, and x-rays to “stage” a patient’s cancer and determine how the cancer is responding to treatment
Thorough patient histories and careful exams to understand how the cancer developed, how it is affecting the patient, and to assess for possible complications of the cancer or treatment
Nutritional and healthy lifestyle counseling
Coordination of care with CHCC surgeons when surgery is appropriate
Referral to off-island radiation and specialty surgeons when appropriate, and coordination of care with off-island specialists
Comprehensive follow-up care after cancer treatment, including blood testing and imaging when appropriate
Oncology nursing team support
Advanced pharmacist team support
Access to the hospital and hospitalist team for clinical problems that cannot be treated as an outpatient
Satellite Cancer Clinics alternating monthly in Rota and Tinian (for office visits only, not treatment)
House calls to a patient's home when appropriate
Cancer symptom management
Benign hematology (blood) problems: The oncology team will also evaluate and treat patients who have complex blood disorders, even if there’s no concern that the patient has cancer