At the John Theurer Cancer Center, we have recruited and assembled the world’s top physicians to provide extraordinary care for patients with cancer and serious blood disorders. Each week, approximately 150 new patients come from all over the country to seek the expertise of our board-certified cancer specialists. Our doctors have trained at some of our nation’s top cancer centers, including Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

Each day, they work together to provide advanced cutting-edge treatments, innovative basic research, and far-reaching clinical trials that very often are not available anywhere else in this area. Our physicians are responsible for some of the most exciting developments in cancer treatment in the last decade, including the use of Gleevec to treat leukemia, Velcade to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma, robotic-assisted surgery for prostate and gynecologic cancers, and refinements in stem cell transplantation that open up this life-saving treatment to patients who once were too sick or advanced in age to undergo a transplant.

You may make an appointment by phone or online using our “Appointment Center” feature. To contact the John Theurer Cancer Center directly via telephone, call 201-996-5900. The receptionist will forward your call to the appropriate staff member or department.

Appointments for the Department of Radiation Oncology may be scheduled by phone at 201-996-2094 or using the online link.

Your doctor may call us directly at 201-996-5855 or use the online referral tool found on this Web site under “Health Professionals.”

You may use the “Ask the Professional” feature on our Web site to ask a cancer specialist a question. In most cases, you will receive a response within 48 hours.

Parking is available to all visitors in the Hackensack University Medical Plaza garage. Patients are given a complimentary parking voucher on the day of the visit.

Many luxury and mid-price hotels are located in and around the city of Hackensack for your lodging convenience. These include hotels within the Marriott, Best Western, Hilton, Ramada, and Comfort Inns chains and many others. We can help you with recommendations.

At the John Theurer Cancer Center, we have more than 100 clinical trials under way for all types of cancer and life-threatening blood disorders. Clinical trials test the safety and effectiveness of new medications, therapies, treatment regimens, devices, and adjuvant treatments in human patients. Our clinical trials are conducted independently or in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, universities, other cancer centers, and national organizations such as the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. Learn more.

At our Web site, you can create and maintain your own journey to chronicle your experiences in private or with the public, where your family, friends, and others can view it and learn from your experiences. Learn more.

Billing for the John Theurer Cancer Center is handled by our Billing Department. You will be charged two separate fees: One is a physician fee; the other is a hospital fee. Your doctor is a private practitioner, not an employee of the hospital. Therefore, his/her office will bill you separately for services. Your private physician does not accept charity care as insurance. For physician billing inquires, call 201-487-5859. For hospital billing inquiries, call 201-996-3198.

Yes, there are several locations throughout the medical center where you can buy a meal or light snack. The main cafeteria, called the Second Street Café, is located on the ground level in the main hospital. There are also food kiosks located in our lobbies.

Family and friends are welcome to come with you during your treatment. For the privacy of patients, we ask that you only bring one family member to sit with you during this time. Due to the safety and concern of all our patients, we request that you do not bring any family or friends who might be ill. When visiting an inpatient, visitors are required to stop at the Information Desk to obtain appropriate passes that must be worn and visible at all times while in the medical center. Children under the age of 5 are permitted in the designated patient lounge only – not in the patient’s room. Live plants, flowers, or fruit baskets are not permitted in the patient’s room. Allowable gifts/articles are balloons, silk arrangements, and greeting cards.

If you go to the Emergency Trauma Department, tell the nurse that you are being treated for cancer at The John Theurer Cancer Center at HUMC and may have low blood counts. Tell the nurse what kind of cancer you have, the date of your last treatment, and the results of your most recent blood counts. Make sure that the nurse knows that you cannot have an enema, suppository, or rectal temperature. If you have a fever, the ETD team should give you antibiotics as soon as possible.

Our Consumer Affairs Department is dedicated to serving the special needs of patients, family members, and visitors. We can assist you with sign language interpreters, services for the handicapped, notary services, advance directives, hotel accommodations, and taxi services. We handle complaints and concerns expressed by family members and other visitors. We can be reached at 201-996-2259.

Our outpatient nutrition services can help you maintain nutritional well-being prior to, during, and after treatment. Your nutritional needs will be determined by a registered dietitian. A nutritional care plan will be developed for you during your treatment and recovery period. You may request to see a dietitian at any time during the course of your treatment. To contact a member of the nutrition counseling staff, call 201-996-2000, ext. 61488.

Hackensack University Medical Center’s Ellen H. Lazar Shoppe on Fifth is a specialty boutique located on the 5th floor of the Medical Plaza, which provides items for purchase for adult and pediatric cancer patients. You will find breast prostheses, educational books, videos, hats, scarves, turbans, wigs, skin care items, swimwear, and lymphedema products. The Shoppe is staffed by certified mastectomy fitters and trained volunteers. Call 201-996-4400.

Hackensack University Medical Center’s Home Healthcare Agency provides skilled nursing care, rehabilitation therapy, social work services, and personal care to patients in their homes. Call 201-342-6311

Hackensack University Medical Center’s hospice program provides end-of-life care to patients in their homes, nursing homes, or assisted living facilities. Our hospice team includes physicians, nurses, social workers, home health aides, spiritual and bereavement counselors, and volunteers. Services include pain and symptom management, skilled nursing care, patient care instructions, respite care and assistance for family members, social services, spiritual support, home health care, bereavement counseling and lectures, and memorial services. Families are followed in their bereavement for 13 months. Call 201-342-7766

Contact our Billing Department at 201-487-5859 or charity care at 201-996-4343.

Our Pastoral Care Department provides spiritual support to patients of all denominations and their family members. Pastoral Care chaplains and dedicated volunteers are available around the clock at the medical center. Call 201-996-2345.

The John Theurer Cancer Center hosts a number of daytime and evening support groups for cancer patients and their caregivers. There are special ones for patients recovering from breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung/thoracic cancer, GI/colorectal cancer, and multiple myeloma. There is also a radiation oncology orientation support group for patients set to begin radiation therapy.

The John Theurer Cancer Center’s Psychosocial Support Program also offers short-term and long-term individual, couples, and family counseling; education; crisis intervention; and referrals to state and federal programs. View calendar of events to see a complete schedule.

We offer a variety of stress reduction programs, including relaxation training, visualization/imagery, desensitization, hypnosis, cognitive/behavioral therapies, and therapeutic touch. The BEYOND Day Spa’s services for men and women include massages, hair removal, facials, and hair and nail care.

If you have difficulty coming to the John Theurer Cancer Center for your appointments, please contact the psychosocial support staff at 201-996-5203 for available resources.

Yes, our smoking cessation program can help you break the habit and give your lungs a chance to breathe easier. Our experienced staff members will provide you with the education and tools you need to quit. Call 201-996-2211.

Over the past three decades, we have progressed steadily in our mission to provide extraordinary care despite being housed within cramped spaces in different buildings on our main campus in Hackensack. Plans are under way to build a freestanding cancer center that will centralize all our divisions and the physicians, nurses, and other cancer specialists who are now scattered among various buildings. We visualize five floors that will consolidate services for various types of cancers. Perhaps the most important change that the new building will bring about is that it will be much easier and more efficient for the John Theurer Cancer Center’s physicians to practice a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment. A patient can come to the John Theurer Cancer Center and see all of his/her physicians (oncologist, surgeon, radiation oncologist, and others) during the same visit. The physicians, located just down the hall from one another, can come together more easily, frequently, and quickly to collectively arrive at the proper diagnosis and treatment plan or to discuss the ongoing management of the patient. Make A Donation