Comprehensive Cancer Care Services

At the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, we are committed to providing Veterans with the best available care for their cancer diagnosis, this often requires a team approach. We provide high-quality, multidisciplinary team care. Veteran’s individual cases are presented weekly to a room of experts who review test results and images together in tumor boards, discuss clinical information, and review the latest recommendations from research studies before recommending a specialized care plan.

Veteran Health Indiana offers a wide range of diagnostic tests and biopsy options to understand your cancer diagnosis and determine the most effective treatment for your personal care plan. Our radiology department provides services such as CT scans, ultrasound, MRI, 3-dimensional imaging, nuclear medicine, and treatments such as Pluvicto and Octreotide.  Our board-certified radiologists use cutting edge technology to provide accurate, efficient, and timely test results to Veterans and their referring providers.

Veteran Health Indiana Medical Oncology and Hematology services and clinics are committed to providing advanced, high-quality healthcare that promotes and improves our Veteran’s health and well-being. Our team has special training in cancer care (medical oncology and hematology). Your care team will include board certified physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, health techs, patient-care coordinators, and a medical support assistant.

Our team educates Veterans about their cancer diagnosis and uses the latest advances in cancer treatment to create a personal treatment plan. We partner with Veterans to identify the goals of treatment, such as to cure the cancer, treat cancer symptoms, and improve quality of life. 

Medical Oncology provides specialized care for many different types of cancer, such as colon, lung, and prostate. Treatment options may include intravenous or oral chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. Oncology addresses treatment side effects during and after treatment and supports Veterans through their recovery. Our experts are subspecialized with focus on thoracic, gastrointestinal, sarcoma, and genitourinary malignancies.

Hematology provides specialized care for all types of blood disorders. This includes hematologic cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, and myeloproliferative disorders. We also specialize in non-malignant problems such as anemia, iron deficiency, blood clots, and bleeding disorders. 

For more information, please call our Hematology and Oncology Nurse Navigators, at: .

Veteran Health Indiana offers a multidisciplinary lung cancer screening program. We are a specialized team of nurse coordinators, pulmonologists (lung doctors) and radiologists dedicated to providing this successful program to our Veterans.  

You should consider being screened for lung cancer if you have all three risk factors: 

• 50–80 years old and
• A current smoker or a former smoker who quit less than 15 years ago and
• A smoking history of at least 20 pack-years (this means 1 pack per day for 20 years or 2 packs a day for 10 years, etc.). The more you smoke and the longer you smoke, the higher your risk for lung cancer. 

If you are interested in lung cancer, please contact your primary care provider for a consult today. 

Screening for Lung Cancer - National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

The comprehensive Surgery Service is staffed with Indiana University School of Medicine board-certified faculty providing comprehensive evaluation and treatment for tumors of all areas including the head and neck, lung, upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, genitourinary, pancreas, skin, and neurosurgery. Their expertise covers a broad range of procedures, including sentinel lymph node mapping, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, and complex oncologic resections.

For more information, please call our General Surgery RN Care Coordinator, at: .

Our comprehensive Radiation Oncology Service is staffed with Indiana University School of Medicine board-certified faculty. The service provides radiation treatment for tumors of all areas including the head and neck, lung, upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, skin, and neurosurgery using state of the art equipment. 

For more information, please call our Radiation Oncology service at: .

Interventional Radiology uses advanced imaging, such as X-ray fluoroscopy, ultrasound, CT scans and MRIs, to diagnose and treat cancers with minimally invasive techniques, thus avoiding the need for open surgery. Treatments available at our facility include chemoembolization, Y90 radioembolization, and percutaneous thermal ablation (radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation).

For more information, please contact our Interventional Radiology department, at: .

The cancer care clinic provides care and support when intravenous chemotherapy or immunotherapy is part of your personal care plan. Oncology nurses and navigators, providers, and pharmacists are on hand to educate Veterans, assess and manage symptoms, and provide treatment and follow-up. Adjustable chairs are provided to promote comfort. To streamline your care, appointments may be combined with nutrition, social work, or palliative care when needed.

Veteran Health Indiana participates in the VA National Precision Oncology Program (NPOP).  It aims to help find genetic alterations in cancers which would give Veterans dealing with cancer better treatments that are less toxic. 

Veterans with certain types of cancer undergo molecular testing of tumors to find better treatments. Veterans with cancer have access to:

• Molecular testing of tumor
• The most cutting-edge therapies to treat genetic changes
• Genetic counseling
• Access to clinical studies at other VA institutions if applicable

Veterans at Veteran Health Indiana have already benefited significantly from this approach. 

For more information, please visit VA National Precision Oncology Program (NPOP).

The Palliative Care Team provides specialized care for Veterans with potentially life limiting illness and their families. Palliative care focuses on treating physical symptoms of the illness, as well as psychological, social, and spiritual issues to maximize quality of life. The team includes a physician, nurse practitioner, social worker, psychologist, and chaplain. The Palliative Care Team sees patients both in the hospital and in outpatient clinic settings.

For more information, please call our Palliative Care Coordinator at: .

Veteran Health Indiana offers video telehealth for many appointments, such as Medical Oncology, Hematology, and Palliative Care. With VA Telehealth, you can receive care from our team of Indianapolis cancer experts, closer to home. Get checkups and treatment, talk about your care and more—from home or elsewhere. Telehealth may be available at your home or local VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC).

Veteran Health Indiana participates in local and national clinical trials on a variety of topics including treatment for lung cancer, prostate cancer, and cancer screening. Our clinical trial portfolio is continuously expanding to best suit our Veterans’ needs.

Find VA-sponsored clinical trials near you

Veteran Health Indiana offers comprehensive cancer care, including the following cancer support services to help our Veterans and their caregivers throughout the cancer treatment and survivorship journey.

• Oncology Social Work: our dedicated VA Social Workers are available to help you and your family at every stage of care, to address potential barriers to care and support you during your cancer journey, including assistance with Veterans Benefits, service connection, and transportation, along with other support services.
• Oncology Nutrition: assist with maintaining or improving nutritional status during your cancer journey
• Oncology Rehabilitation: helps you obtain the best physical, psychological, social, and work-related functioning before, during, and after cancer treatment.
• Cancer Survivorship: cancer survivorship begins at diagnosis and continues beyond treatment. At every stage of your cancer journey, the VA is here for you. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, VA’s best-in-class cancer care and survivorship resources are here to help you not only survive but thrive.
• Caregiver Support Program: offers a number of services to support those who provide physical care for Veterans experiencing significant illness. We can help with getting caregiver assistance available through VA, matching you with services and benefits, and connecting you with local resources and programs.
• Whole Health Program: focuses on what matters most to each of us. It empowers people thorough mindful awareness and self-care, recognizing the fundamental importance of healthy nutrition, activity, sleep, relationships, surroundings, and the many other areas of our lives that contribute to our health and wholeness.

Our VA Indiana Health Care System works closely with the VA National Oncology Program (NOP) to bring evidence-based testing and care advances to our Veterans, in alignment with the VA National Oncology Program Clinical Pathways.

To learn more about the VA National Oncology Program (NOP), visit: https://www.cancer.va.gov/