Our experiences with the Cancer Center of Hawai'i occurred in 2010 at the St. Francis - West…read morelocation when my father was being treated for his esophageal cancer. We found the staff, medical and non-medical, to be very professional yet compassionate and personable. Little did we ever think we'd have reason to go to the Cancer Center, again. This time we're coming to the Liliha location in support of another family member of mine. Located in the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Medical Pavilion on the same property as St. Francis - Liliha, there is validated parking at this location. Thankfully, we were provided a parking pass during an earlier appointment here otherwise, we probably would've parked in the main parking structure. Once we passed the parking lot attendant, we took a ticket and turned LEFT at the T-intersection. We then followed the driveway down to the designated stalls for the Cancer Center. The Cancer Center is located on the Basement Level. Once we got out from the elevator, we headed for the reception desk where we scanned my family member's Cancer Center card to check-in. We like this barcode system because it also serves as identification and verifies the series of treatments that the patient is going through. Once the patient is checked in, we noticed how on-time they get the patients in and out of the clinic. Everyone in this clinic is respectful, helpful and friendly. We feel that it takes a special personality to work in this medical clinic. The staff does their best to make both the patient and their loved ones comfortable and kept informed. The Cancer Center's staff even gives you a sense of confidence and understanding. You feel their support that will help you get through this Life's challenge together, one day at a time.

Dr. Palalay is a great oncologist! He listens to your questions or your concerns. It can be a…read morelong wait inside the office, but waiting for a good doctor like him is worth the wait! I've had him since my cancer diagnosis and I hope to have him for a long time!

Dr. Palalay listens and cares about his patients. He was the first doctor to examine me properly,…read moreand can act quickly because I was able to get a needle biopsy, all labs done without leaving his office. I finally was diagnosed with Lymphoma. You do have to wait as he is justifiably busy. But he is worth the wait. He is very knowledgeable and has a great team of doctors supporting him for surgery, and consults. He is also a nice guy.

He may be a good doctor but everyone had been waiting over an hour for their appointment. The last…read moretime someone called from their office and made an appointment and when we showed up they said we didn't have an appointment that day. We are back today and it's going on 1.5 hours over. We were here early for our time.

My son was treated for lymphoma while living in MN. Upon his move to Hawaii for college he needed…read morean oncologist. After seeing a few clowns he found Dr. Palalay. He is a wonderful man and doctor. He spent time with my son and there was never a dumb question. I sat in on most appointments and satisfied with his knowledge and time spent on every appt. Anytime he need to see the Dr. he was easily available to address concerns Today he is 5 years cancer free and saw the doctor one last time. It was a good feeling.

The staff here is extraordinary! I went in for an Iron Infusion. My wait time was minimal from the…read moretime I walked in. I got to the back, they made me comfortable. The warm blankets are da bomb. Every nurse was caring and sensitive. They followed up closer to insure I didn't have any reactions. I know that the quality of care is exceptional. Anyone who is receiving care is well taken care of. I'm looking forward to my next visit.

While I never thought I'd need to get care at this place let alone comment about it in itself is…read moreamazing! I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma back in May and ended up having a lumpectomy. I was very fortunate as it was a quick and easy procedure with little down time. Lucky for me! In September I started radiation treatment at the Cancer Center of Hawaii in Pearlridge. I was so very impressed with the entire staff. The front door greeter is the sweetest person. Always greeting everyone with a warm smile and encouragement. The office staff is so supportive as well as accommodating also. I so loved all the radiation techs and felt very comfortable and safe with them during my treatments. But what I must say was the most impressive trait of this center in how efficient they are as to not keep you waiting and they are very prompt with their assigned appointments. Sometimes I barely got changed in to my gown and they were calling me in. You are in and out in no time. And let's not forget the parking attendant that would sometimes give you a little nod and even congratulated me on my last day. Along with the nurses and doctor that made this "diagnosis " bearable. As I do not want to have to go through this again, I know if I ever do I WILL BE IN GREAT HANDS!

No one ever wants to have to see an oncologist. I must say that Dr Sumida and his staff make the…read moresituation a lot easier. They are friendly at the front desk and the nurses are efficient and call back quickly. Dr Sumida makes time to discuss concerns, diagnosis, treatments and the next plan of care. I have started chemotherapy today and have to say that his infusion nurses are very pleasant and knowledgeable. They made my first day of chemotherapy smooth. I was there from 9-430 and it did NOT send like it at all. I am comfortable with my care in their hands.

It seems a bit depressing to give a 5-star "Woohoo! As good as it gets!" rating for a medical…read moreoffice that treats cancer patients, but then again so is being diagnosed with cancer. But if you or anyone you know is looking for an Oncologist, check out Oncare. Luckily we were referred here by the Queen's Emergency staff. Upon first registering at Oncare, we were assigned to Dr. Michelle Miyashiro and sometimes when she isn't available, we see Dr. Jonathan Cho. These two doctors are the best! What we love about them is the fact that they are very sincere and it shows, works with the patients and their families, and they LISTEN! What's great is that if the doctor's practice these traits, you can also see the reflection in the staff's personalities as well. Oncare offers a full range of all in one place services that's essential for the Oncologists to properly treat their patients without having us rush from place to place. They have an in-office lab that provides instant blood work results for your upcoming doctor's visit that day and the chemotherapy room is also in the same office.

He is always thinking, very smart and analytical. Some patients may misinterpret his demeanor as…read moreuncaring, because he is always straight to the point, doesn't waste time. Frankly, I would prefer a doc who is thinking about my diagnosis and concerned about making the right decisions, than a doc who wants to talk story about non-health related topics (and then you find you've just been spending your precious minutes of physician care talking about food or sports). If you need a hematologist or oncologist who really cares and does behind the scenes research on your treatment strategy, Dr. Kawahara is your man.

Possibly the finest dr. I have had the pleasure of interacting with…read more His skills allowed my sister to survive 19 years of ovarian cancer. A++

Dr carney is sweet and knows what he is doing. His staff absolutely not. I had to call several…read moretimes to get my referral there a month and half later I finally see him ... then his nurse never followed up for two-three weeks to schedule the surgery. Than I was instructed I'll get pre op paperwork and blood work and that did not happen .. followed up 3 times. Finally the day before surgery at 3 pm I finally get Bridget to get the bloodwork to lab. Come to surgery next day and almost had it cancelled because were op test did not get done because Bridget kept saying it's fine I'll follow up and never did!!!!! Than after surgery they tried to give me ibp when they knew I had a blood clotting issue and was not allowed to take per my pcp and oncologist! Than I leave the hospital to fly back to Maui... go to pharmacy and they put in a huge bottle of ibp and 2 days of pain meds for a 6 week recovery of a hysterectomy. I asked to talk to doctor and he sends in his assistant because he knew I was upset, this is completely unacceptable. I am leaving back home in tears and probably high blood pressure because of how this place operates.

Nerve wrecking... nail biting... a plethora of emotions…read more.. The pluses to coming here are the doctors and staff. Everyone here is friendly, supportive and helpful. They don't treat you or look at you with sadness and pity. They look at you - a patient - as "normal" (if that makes any sense). Office is always full, so don't expect to be in and out of there with a snap of your fingers. Never fear...there's always music and a lot to read!! Conveniently, there is a lab in the office. So, blood draws, etc. can be done right then and there. The two lab techs who work there are awesome sticks!!! Need chemo? An option would be to have your chemo infused there! The chemo nurse is fantastic! She is loud and full of life! Love her!! Doctors - in a word, verybusybutawesome! I love the fact that they don't look at it like you have a death sentence. They are there to fight alongside you...and they will do their best to win! Having the big "C" is bad enough, but with the right team supporting and "fighting the fight", it makes it that much easier. I love my team! Much admiration and respect for anyone in the healthcare field... but much, much respect for people who work with oncology patients.

My father has recently been battling esophageal cancer. It was not caught until it was stage 4. We…read moresaw Dr. Liu at Straub Oncology. He and his staff were AMAZING! Jaylen and Sierra at the front desk are so kind and caring. They are efficient and professional while also being very compassionate. I had trouble getting paperwork from other offices (non-Straub), however, that was never the case with this office. They are extremely organized. Lisa was also very responsive. We called her on several occasions and she walked us through some issues we were having with my father's feeding tube feedings. We were so grateful. Dr. Liu himself is wonderful. He is gentle and kind. He never rushed us and answered all of our questions. He is intelligent and has such a great bedside manner. If you are looking for a Medical Oncologist, I highly recommend Dr. Liu at Straub. The entire office is wonderful!!!

Dr. Liu is the BEST... kind, caring and gentle. He always greets you with a smile and is very…read moreeasy to talk to. Another plus is his (regular) nurse is the same way.

Dr. Speirs is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I am fortunate that she is my radiation…read moreoncologist, again. She was my radiation oncologist the first time I needed radiation and is my physician now since I needed radiation again. She went over my radiation plan very carefully with me and explained things in easy terms for me to understand. She is a very caring physician and is one of my bright spots when I go to the Cancer Center for treatment. I highly recommend seeing her and the Cancer Center as well. ******** Dr. Speirs is great She is compassionate And very caring

Overall: Doc Speirs was great. Overall she was a good doc and I'd see her again if needed. She is…read moreyoung, well versed in newer treatments and open to research discussion--VERY RARE here in Hawaii where you are treated like an uneducated idiot most of the time, at least in my experience;) (see * below) As a retired physician myself, I thoroughly researched radiation treatments for the type of cancer I have. Dr. Speirs was accommodating, and agreed to do the very low dose radiation I requested, done mostly in Japan, and hardly ever here in the US--but gets great results with near zero side effects. This is my 2nd round with cancer so I was thorough with research and she listened and agreed to try it--if I needed more down the line, then we'd do more. These were the good things: 1. Thorough, listened, evaluated reasonably, accommodating my needs well. Was familiar with my research as well. 2. The staff are super nice. Short wait times as well. Now the things that need improvement (: 1. The office staff are really helpful and friendly. That stated, follow through with lab orders, results, or referrals was frustrating. I waited weeks and had to go into the office where tests were done to get results because the doc has to 'release' them and this was never done. Or the office never got it? Dunno. 2. Referrals never went through twice. Frustrating. The office had no reference to it at all though it was discussed during visits. 3. Dr. Speirs was on vacation when I had the radiation and I saw another doc AFTERwards, not realizing the area radiated was LARGER than the discussed borders we went over so thoroughly during my visit. I'd never have gotten into that machine! We discussed 2cm borders but it went across the area completely! 4. I had a weird experience during the 2nd treatment that felt like a wave of 'heat' passing over my mid section. Commented to the tech; she looked ?? It was blown off as nothing by Tripler rad onc docs I know...Weeks later? I broke both the wrist and ribs in line with that weird 'heat' in two unrelated 'nothing' incidents that should not have done any damage at all. Coincidence? My thyroid also was affected (sudden high TSH) so I got hypo thyroid, losing hair too. NOT supposed to happen. So...WHAT HAPPENED? I'll never know! I'm in remission now and hope to stay there. But, no more radiation for me. It's too...uncertain in how it affects my body. Wish I knew more, but I don't. Dr. Speirs is informed, up to date and worth a visit, definitely. Redo? I Just wish she was there when I got treated and not handed to someone I never met before? Or at least let me know the area to be radiated was expanded (why?), not after the fact--when I could change nothing. I'm in remission so I'm OK...these things may seem trivial to readers...but I feel they are important enough to mention. *I fired my first oncologist because he wanted to do chemo and high dose rad and would not even LOOK at my research--it was 'his way or the highway'. Actually shushed questions, raised his voice to 'fire me' when I asked q's..I walked out and never went back. Scary stuff. The male dominated medical profession 'Father-Knows-Best' friendly routine... is SO Nauseating. Especially if you are female and over 60! Amazing how many fall for this routine too, not knowing..."Oh, he's just SO nice!!?" getting outdated and even dangerous treatments because they are not medical and don't KNOW...! Be informed! ALWAYS! If you don't know, find a medical person to be your advocate. Or a young, up to date physician!