Rutgers Cancer Institute — Local services in New Brunswick

My father was diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer on 14Jan2020. I brought him to several places and decided on RCINJ since it was a highly rated cancer institute in NJ and we are located 15 minutes away. While the chemotherapy area and doctor's offices are conveniently in the same building so that patients can get their infusions and then go see their doctor's, the attention to detail and communication is lacking. I tried to schedule my dad several times to get his infusion done prior to his doctor's appt so that he doesn't have to spend any additional time there especially during the pandemic when I couldn't accompany him (he was weak and also did not speak much English). Although this is minor, I had some very major issues that would make a difference in my dad's treatment. He was found expressing 10% for PD-L1 and I requested we try to get market access for Keytruda, the oncologist's nurse did not move quick enough and he received approval when it was too late. I hate to have to put names out but in order to write review that could seriously help other families, I have to say that Joyce Plaza, although very nice and easy to talk to, was not the best at taking care of things in a timely manner when time is of the essence for cancer patients. I requested to see another physician in the middle of my father's treatment since the oncologist we were seeing was new and may not know his way around just yet (not his fault, but we just needed to be working with someone that could help us the best way possible). Joyce did not pick up her phone and we had all of our communications via email, she was involved in trying to allow me to see the other physician and she never got back or helped me make an appointment with her. My father needed hydration several times and we would discuss this with the oncologist and she would miss scheduling these. My dad fainted from dehydration and was in discomfort. Even a day makes a world's difference. You do not need state of the art facilities all the time because if your team is not able to have access to them or use them on you, it serves no purpose. In terms of the oncologist, Dr. Patrick Boland was very sweet and soft spoken, good bedside manners. In terms of aggressiveness and thinking outside of the box on his own, I had some difficulty with this. I would bring trials to his attention and ideas as well, he did not have any of his own to present. This did not work for us because my father's cancer was squamous cell carcinoma of the pancreas which is extremely rare without much research- he might have not been suitable for this particular time and this does not make him a bad physician, it just means that as patient's and the family of patient's, we need to speak up and find the right match. I did not want to know the prognosis for my dad because he was in the room but up until we knew it was basically time that we put him on hospice, Dr. Boland did not provide appropriate support and foster a conversation that would mean "we did everything we could, but honestly, let him live out his days with family because chemo or any other treatment will only make his time here more uncomfortable." Again, maybe a personality thing- very soft spoken, a little hesitant, did not work for me. I would not recommend RCINJ for rare and aggressive cancers, and I especially would steer away from having to have Joyce Plaza be the middle man- she is unavailable and when she is, she isn't detail oriented and thorough in her scheduling and follow up on patients. All cancer center's seem to have hoops you have to jump through to get to a Doctor so yes, this is the case at RCINJ as well, you have to call and leave a message and wait to get a response back. My father passed away on August 1st, 2020. It was almost inevitable, but I would've felt better having a team that was directing me more than I was directing them (I work in Pharma and tried to be as involved based on my own knowledge as possible but of course medical expertise always makes the world's difference). Good luck to you and I send...

I was admitted as a patient to undergo a specialized surgery on 5/8/2025. The amount of care and treatment I’ve received was beyond amazing. The staff from the information desk to when you get wheeled out was beyond phenomenal.

When I first went in on my procedure I was greeted by a team of specializing Physicians, Students, Nurse Practioners, Nurses, and Support Staff, that made you feel beyond comfortable. The one thing that stood out to me was that all the staff had this hunger, this drive in their eyes that showed that they were beyond passionate to healing people. It’s a hunger force that cannot be described. The staff was like a beacon of hope. They were so beyond courteous, caring, and very compassionate. My nurses Paula, Jacob, Jackie, Pearly, and I forgot the one I had after anesthesia were all amazing. Dr. Saum Ghodoussipour and his team was beyond the most amazing doctors I’ve ever encountered in my life and my Anesthesiologist team were amazing. If I had all the money in the world I would love to donate to the new cancer center that they are moving to across the street the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, NJs first and only standalone cancer hospital. I am so pleased and blessed to have such a great team. During anesthesia the only thing I did remember is that the 14 gauge needle was orange for Orange Creamsicle. I know one day I will read that this hospital cancer center is going to be number 1 on the list. I have a feeling that it’s going to surpass Sloan Memorial and Anderson MD one day. I wish there were more stars because I would give more stars.

07/04/2025 Update. I want to mention how amazing the lab staff are. Theresa’s is such a sweetheart and super supportive. Alexi from Valet always greets me and I told him the moment I pull my car up the healing begins with his warmth and smile. Both Ashley’s from Infusion are super awesome and sweet. Erin and Rachel from infusions are amazing they are super supportive and caring along with Brittney and Omar from food services are super caring supportive and are willing to take the time out to get to know the patient which is amazing. This place is the best of the best and I love all the staff with all my heart and soul. They are my cancer fighting Army and they...

If you want to live, find another place to undergo treatment. Dr. Jang and his "team" never even bothered to come up with a treatment plan for my father's bladder cancer...whereas a local team developed a treatment plan in less than three days, when it was already too late thanks to this place's procrastination. My father was a patient of Dr. Jang's for months before his cancer killed him. The suffering my father endured after being sent home without pain medicine was unlike anything I've ever witnessed. I'm very serious - if you want to beat your cancer and experience as little discomfort as possible, go somewhere else. You won't have a shot at survival if you seek treatment here given my horrific firsthand experience. Good luck.

Since I can't respond to your reply directly, I will tell you that if you were serious about having one of your "clinical leaders" speak to me, you would have given me a direct line of access. I appreciate your canned response as much as I'm grateful for the care your establishment provided for my deceased father -- which is to say I don't appreciate it at all. Thanks for throwing salt in a still-existing wound. You should be ashamed, assuming you are at all capable of self-reflection and self-accountability. To get soooooo many reviews of this sort and to offer the response you rendered...I mean, come on. Your patients and their loved ones deserve better. ...