Elmhurst Cancer Center
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst offers comprehensive cancer care services for our patients located conveniently in Queens. Our medical, radiation and surgical oncologists specialize in the treatment of cancers, with outpatient services in the main hospital building and adjacent Hope Pavilion.
The Elmhurst Oncology program is certified by the Commission on Cancer, with weekly multidisciplinary tumor board discussions to facilitate high quality decision-making for even the most complex cases. Our treatment strategies are aligned with the recommendations of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Our Services
We provide comprehensive access to screening services including mammography and colonoscopy. We also offer programs to address certain preventable risk factors for cancer through smoking cessation support, treatment of H pylori infection and HPV vaccination as some examples.
Through close collaboration with Elmhurst’s subspecialty services, we treat a variety of cancers all over the body:
- Blood and Bone Marrow
- Brain, Spine and Nerves
- Breast, plus Reconstruction Surgery
- Colon, Rectum and Anus
- Endocrine Glands, including Adrenal and Thyroid
- Uterus, Cervix and Ovaries
- Head, Neck and Throat
- Liver and Pancreas
- Lung and Chest
- Prostate, Kidney, and Bladder
- Soft Tissue and Bone
- Stomach and Intestines
Our surgeons perform minimally invasive surgeries using state-of-the-art robotic and laparoscopic platforms. Minimally invasive surgery offers the advantages of less intraoperative bleeding, decreased surgical site pain and infection, smaller surgical incisions, and faster recovery. Our interventional radiology and advanced gastroenterology programs offer nonoperative alternatives for treatment of some cancers such as endoscopic resection of colon polyps harboring early cancer or microwave ablation of liver tumors.
The Radiation Oncology program is certified by the American College of Radiology and looks forward to the forthcoming installation of a new linear accelerator funded by the Queens Borough President.
Our Medical Oncologists offer the latest in systemic therapy options, including immunotherapy and targeted therapies. We provide access to clinical trials with an actively expanding research program.
We also have a range of supportive services available, including Palliative Care, Genetics, Nutrition, Physical Therapy, and Social work, to ensure that the entire treatment process goes as smoothly as possible.
Our Providers
Our providers have teaching appointments at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. We supervise the education of rotating Mount Sinai residents and medical students, as well as our own Elmhurst residents. We have ongoing clinical studies, and our researchers have produced numerous conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications.
Our physicians are active members of various specialty organizations, including ACS (American College of Surgeons), SSO (Society of Surgical Oncology), ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology), ASTRO (American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology), ACRO (American College of Radiation Oncology), and SGO (Society of Gynecologic Oncology).
Please contact us at 718-NYC-4NYC for more information or to schedule a consultation.
Leadership
Leadership
Niriksha Chandrani, MD
Chief of Medical Oncology Division
Dr. Niriksha Chandrani completed her residency and fellowship in hematology and oncology at Cabrini Medical Center Ichan of Medicine NY City. She is board certified in hematology and medical oncology. She manages the Oncology here at Elmhurst Hospital. She specializes in treating solid tumors and hematology malignancies. She also plays an active role in the clinical research program.
Zahra Shafaee, MD, MBA, FACS, FSSO
Chief of Surgical Oncology / Chair of Cancer Committee
Zahra Shafaee is a surgical oncologist and hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeon at Elmhurst Hospital. She has earned her medical degree from Mashhad School of Medicine, Iran and completed her residency in General surgery at Harlem Hospital and Surgical Oncology Fellowship at University of Chicago. She did a minimally invasive hepatopancreatobiliary fellowship at Institut Mutaliste Montsouris, Paris, France. She has authored multiple peer reviewed papers. She is the Chief of Division of Surgical Oncology and Chair of the Cancer Committee and Tumor Board at Elmhurst Hospital. Her Areas of interests include hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeries, endocrine surgeries, and surgeries for gastrointestinal and soft tissue cancers, clinical and translational research in the field of surgical oncology.
Nicola Nasser, MD, PhD
Director of Radiation Oncology / Co-Chair Cancer Committee
Dr. Nicola J. Nasser is a highly skilled board-certified radiation oncologist and leading scientist in the field of cancer. He earned his medical degree from the Hadassah School of Medicine of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, followed by specialized training in medical and radiation oncology in Israel, Canada, and the United States. Dr. Nasser completed his fellowship training at institutions including the Princess Margaret Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Montefiore Medical Center, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. During his training, Dr. Nasser developed multiple inventions in the field of medicine. He currently serves as the director of radiation oncology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where he provides exceptional and compassionate care to his patients while remaining dedicated to advancing cancer research and treatment through ongoing research endeavors.
Benjamin Pocock, MD
Cancer Liaison Physician, Director of Breast Surgery
Dr. Benjamin Pocock is a board-certified, fellowship-trained Breast Cancer Surgical Oncologist. After medical school at the University of London, he trained in general surgery at Johns Hopkins and Tufts, followed by a Breast Surgery fellowship at Columbia. At Elmhurst, he is the Director of Breast Services, as well as the Cancer Liaison Physician of the ACS CoC accredited Cancer Committee. He runs the Breast Clinic, where he performs sonogram-guided and stereotactic breast biopsies, and breast operations.
Roopalekha Shenoy, MD
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Roopalekha Shenoy received her Medical degree in India. In coming to the US, she completed her residency at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. She then completed her Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at Interfaith Hospital in Brooklyn and LIJ in New Hyde Park. She has been working in Hematology/Oncology at Elmhurst Hospital for over 7 years. Providing quality care to her patients is her top priority.
Jennifer Whittington, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO
Cancer Research officer
Dr. Jennifer Whittington, MD, PhD, FACS, FSSO is a board-certified surgical oncologist who specializes in GI and HPB surgical oncology at Elmhurst Hospital Center in the Division of Surgical Oncology. She completed her undergraduate studies at East Tennessee State University while participating as a Division I Track and Field scholarship athlete. She went on to complete medical school at East Tennessee State University and then General Surgery residency at University of Kentucky. While at the University of Kentucky she was an NIH-T32 recipient and completed her PhD in Clinical and Translational Sciences with a focus on tumor metabolism. She completed her Complex General Surgical Oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her clinical and research interests include oncologic disparities in access to care, tumor metabolism, and robotic GI surgery.