Cancer services offered in South Carolina

Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, St. Joseph’s/Candler and South Carolina Cancer Specialists join forces to offer medical and radiation oncology for the Low Country

St. Joseph’s/Candler began serving the Bluffton and Hilton Head communities more than 18 years ago. Not long after the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion opened in 2006, cancer services began to be offered in the Low Country.

As Bluffton continues to grow – expanding by more than 40 percent since 2010 – so do the cancer services offered in South Carolina.

Our newest addition in the Low Country is the opening of the St. Joseph's/Candler - Bluffton Campus. Currently, it houses many oncology services including medical oncology, radiation therapy and infusion therapy.

St. Joseph's/Candler and the LCRP have future plans to continue to expand facilities and services in the Hilton Head, Bluffton and Okatie areas. Residents can expect the advanced and comprehensive care from the LCRP right in their backyards.

“With the technologies our health system brings, it is unique comprehensive cancer care for the area,” says Pam Proman, Administrator of Operations and Strategic Initiatives for the LCRP. “Not only do we have the latest technology with Varian TrueBeam and clinical trials, but also we provide that extra layer of support on the island and in South Carolina for those patients.”

Cancer services offered in South Carolina include medical and radiation oncology, including radiation treatment, chemotherapy, genetic counseling and more. Dr. Gary Thomas with South Carolina Cancer Specialists is the medical director for the St. Joseph’s/Candler-SC Cancer Specialists Hilton Head-Bluffton partnership. Dr. Majd Chahin and Dr. Gregory Haidemenos, also with SJ/C-SC Cancer Specialists, additionally sees patients in Bluffton and Hilton Head.

Pulmonologist Dr. Doug Mullins regularly see patients in South Carolina, says Proman. All four SJ/C radiation oncologists – Dr. Joshua McKenzie, Dr. John Mikell, Dr. John Pablo and Dr. Stephen Ramey – spend time at the radiation oncology center, Proman adds. There are also nurses and dietitians on staff in South Carolina.

Medical Oncology

St. Joseph’s/Candler and South Carolina Cancer Specialists joined together to provide patients in the Low Country the most advanced chemotherapy and other infusion services.

Patients have access to services provided by the LCRP including genetic counseling, dietitian, survivorship program and our relationship with the National Cancer Institute’s Community Oncology Research Program.

Additional, we have the expertise of Dr. Thomas, Dr. Chahin and Dr. Haidemenos. All have decades of experience serving the Low Country.

SJ/C-SC Cancer Specialists has three locations in the Low Country:

Hilton Head
45 Hospital Center Commons,
Hilton Head, SC 29926
843-689-2895

Hours:
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Bluffton/Okatie
100 Buckwalter Place Blvd.
843-208-2895

Hours:
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Port Royal/Beaufort
1680 Ribaut Road, Suite B
Port Royal, SC 29935

Hours:
Monday - Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Radiation Oncology

The Radiation Oncology Center at the LCRP offers another location to treat patients in the Hilton Head area and now in Bluffton. Both radiation facilities provide the latest advances in radiation therapy and compassionate care close to home.

The Hilton Head and Bluffton Radiation Oncology Centers house some advanced radiation technologies including:

• TrueBeam, which delivers a radiation beam that targets the cancer and keeps exposure to healthy cells to a minimum.
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), which helps to verify the accuracy of radiation treatment with the use of daily imaging before treatment begins.

For the time being, patients will still need to come to Savannah to the main LCRP location for initial treatment planning. Consultations and subsequent appointments are then offered at our Bluffton or Hilton Head locations for the patient’s convenience:

In Bluffton
100 Buckwalter Place Blvd.,
Bluffton, SC 29910
843-836-7120

In Hilton Head
25 Hospital Center Blvd.,
Hilton Head, SC 29926
843-689-6490

Hours:
Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The future of the LCRP in the Low Country

St. Joseph's/Candler was excited to announce the opening of the Bluffton Campus in March 2020. A key component of the regional campus is the development of a regional oncology campus that added another linear accelerator for radiation treatment and expand medical oncology services that virtually eliminate the need for patients to travel to Savannah.

“St. Joseph’s/Candler has had a longstanding commitment to the South Carolina Low Country. This new medical campus will make that commitment even stronger,” Paul P. Hinchey, President & CEO of St. Joseph’s/Candler, said during the campus announcement in November 2017. “It will add a wider range of physicians, specialists and services that will expand access to healthcare for the ever growing Bluffton population, and this project will locate all the services in one convenient location.”

St. Joseph's/Candler has plans to add additional services at the Bluffton Campus to continue to serve the Low Country for years to come.