Orange County’s top choice for cancer care will soon be available to more of Orange County.
The Hoag Family Cancer Institute, ranked in the top 10% in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, has welcomed three prominent oncologists.
Experienced medical oncologists David M. Burtzo, M.D., and Nicholas D. Reese, M.D., and surgical oncologist Thomas Wang, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S., are joining a team already known for innovative cancer care, renowned support services and access to clinical trials. They are part of a broader expansion of Hoag’s cancer care, which includes the renovation and expansion of Hoag’s Newport Beach center, its center in Irvine and a new presence in Huntington Beach.
“Hoag Family Cancer Institute leads cancer care in Orange County, and the addition of these prominent oncologists to the Hoag family will help us deliver the most advanced cancer care, close to home for our community,” said Burton L. Eisenberg, M.D., F.A.C.S., executive medical director of Hoag Family Cancer Institute and the Grace E. Hoag Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair.
Hoag oncologists have built a reputation for their team-based approach, and the new oncologists said they are looking forward to working with support staff, including nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, nurse navigators and genetic counselors.
“It is exciting to join a hospital that is so focused on the future and providing innovative treatments for cancer patients,” said Dr. Burtzo. “Hoag has a sterling reputation for clinical excellence and patient-centered care.”
Drs. Burtzo and Reese join a team of nationally recognized specialists practicing in the Hoag Family Cancer Center. Dr. Wang specializes in melanoma and sarcoma and is the director of Hoag’s Melanoma Program.
“Bringing cancer care closer to patients is critical for a patient’s quality of life and their success in the cancer journey,” said Dr. Burtzo. “I’m thrilled to join this team.”
Communication between oncologists, support staff and the entire team makes a significant difference in a patient’s cancer care, and Hoag’s reputation for building strong comprehensive teams drew Dr. Wang to Hoag from Alabama, where he served as a tenured professor of surgical oncology at the University of Alabama and as Chair of the cancer committee at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Birmingham.
“I appreciate that Hoag is focused on treating the whole patient, from the clinical aspects of a patient’s cancer to the psycho-social support aspects of their care,” Dr. Wang said.
Hoag Family Cancer Institute’s national recognition is based on subspecialized cancer programs, precision medicine using genomic technologies, extensive clinical trials and research, led by oncology specialists dedicated to the early detection, and diagnosis and expert treatment of cancer.
Through its robust clinical trials program, Hoag is leading in Natural Killer Cell Therapy, which uses the ViewRay MRIdian Linear Accelerator, the most advanced and accurate radiation oncology machine in the U.S. Hoag is the only hospital in Orange County to offer it.
Hoag is also home to one of the few early detection programs in pancreatic cancer in the nation, the Anita Erickson Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Program. And Hoag’s pancreatic cyst surveillance program is one of the only such programs of its kind in the county.
“One of the things that drew me to Hoag was the hospital’s commitment to working with physician leaders to bring the best and most promising treatments and equipment to patients,” said Dr. Reese. “At Hoag, it seems, the sky is the limit.”
