Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada (Comprehensive) has served the Southern Nevada community for more than 50 years, delivering oncology care and pioneering cancer treatment. Southwest Cancer Clinic and Nevada Radiation Oncology Centers were two cancer treatment centers that helped patients since 1974. In 2000, a practice combining the two centers by the original partners was created, and in 2002, the practice’s official name became Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada.

Dr. Rupesh J. Parikh, medical oncologist, practice president, Comprehensive Cancer Centers, proudly calls one of the original founders who is still working at the center his mentor.

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Comprehensive has become an affiliate of the US Oncology Network, one of the largest national community–based oncology management practices.

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The affiliation allows access to about 2,500 doctors, 1,000 mid-level providers and advanced practice providers in that network. It also gives access to the network, trials and data. They help manage employees and billing, along with partners such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and pharmaceutical companies such as Bristol Myers Squibb.

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The practice operates multiple outpatient treatment centers with nine main and satellite offices in Boulder City and Pahrump.

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“Our main offices all do chemotherapy, and five of our offices do radiation of some kind. We currently offer breast cancer surgery in three of our offices. We are planning to build a Sunrise Center next to Sunrise Hospital offering breast cancer surgeons,” explained Dr. Parikh. “Some of our offices offer a special type of radiation therapy called CyberKnife, which is the only one in the state that can do that type of what we call pinpointed radiation, and one of our offices has a TrueBeam machine, which is a form of radiation therapy.”

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The city of Las Vegas is working with Comprehensive to open a 15,000-square-foot facility in the Las Vegas Medical District scheduled to be open in 2026.

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“We want to be there for the underserved population and a location where we needed more access, especially from the north side of Las Vegas. Our closest office to the area is Eastern Avenue and Flamingo Road, and we knew the Medical District was developing. We’re the only practice that takes all of Medicaid in Nevada.”

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Comprehensive participates in more than 135 Phase 1, Phase II, Phase III and Phase IV clinical research trials and is the largest research trial network in the State of Nevada. Clinical trials lead to state-of-the-art and innovative care. Comprehensive is building a new lab to test for molecular profiling of cancer and precision medicine testing.

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Comprehensive recruits top-tier oncology professionals, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, breast surgeons, pulmonologists, advanced practice providers, mid-levels, nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

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“We’re using these mid-levels to take care of some of the more acute needs and answer some day-to-day questions in our field,” Dr. Parikh said. “Recruiting to Las Vegas is always a challenge, and I believe becoming a professional sports town has helped.”

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The American Society of Clinical Oncology predicts that about 30 percent of the oncologists working in the country will retire in the next five to 10 years, and not as many oncologists will graduate. Recruitment also included Dr. Parikh, who joined Comprehensive in 2005.

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“I was in California working for an HMO in cancer medicine. While I wanted to practice in a field that I thought was very innovative, I wanted to do more research. My cousin, a cardiologist in Las Vegas, urged me to consider Southern Nevada,” said Dr. Parikh. “I came here for an interview, and 20 years later, I am still here with my family.”

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Communication is an important factor, and now Comprehensive is connected to the Care Quality Network, which is the same network as the City of Hope. Office infrastructure is being upgraded to make them operate more efficiently.

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Legislative advocacy at all levels is also a very important aspect of Comprehensive.

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“I have the pleasure of sitting on the National Government PAC Board, the Physician Action Committee PAC Board. I go to Washington once or twice a year to talk to senators about health issues and things like Medicare and CMS funding. A few years ago, we helped sponsor a law change for what we call MID, or Medically Integrated Dispensing. It essentially allows us to give the oral chemotherapy drugs out of our offices. We couldn’t do that before. But it’s improved patient compliance rates,” said Dr. Parikh.

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As Dr. Parikh stated, “For cancer patients, I always say we’re friends for life,” which is true for Comprehensive.

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For more information, visit cccnevada.com.