Internal Medicine Specialty Clinics

Most cancer patients experience fatigue at some point. The Cancer-Related Fatigue Clinic is here to help. 

Our team of physicians, nurse practitioners and nurse clinicians provide a comprehensive approach to managing fatigue. We assess each patient's fatigue burden and develop a customized program of care  designed to ease fatigue and help patients cope with cancer treatment. Therapies and treatments may include:

• Physical or occupational therapy
• Psychiatric care
• Acupuncture
• Self-hypnosis

• Carmen Escalante, M.D.
• Ellen Manzullo, M.D.

Physicians in the Geriatrics Clinic work with MD Anderson cancer specialists to design personalized treatment plans for older adults with cancer. We will meet with each patient for 90 minutes to help identify treatment goals and any non-cancer medical conditions that will require special attention during care.

As geriatricians, we have special training in the diagnosis and management of the following medical conditions:

• Caregiver strain
• Decreasing medications and minimizing side effects
  
• Depression
• Difficulty managing day-to- day activities
  
• Falls and mobility problems
• Frailty
• Managing multiple, chronic illnesses
• Memory loss, dementia and delirium
• Osteoporosis and bone health
• Weight loss and malnutrition.

In order to make the most of your appointment, please help us by:

• Bringing all of your medications in their original bottles and your pillbox (if you use one)
• Bringing the names and contact information for all your doctors, especially your family physician and any specialists
• Coming to the appointment with a family member who will be involved in your cancer care
• Completing your New Patient Questionnaire prior to your appointment. This questionnaire should have been emailed to you at the time your appointment was scheduled and/or is available through your MyChart account. 
  

Clinicians

• Vinh Nguyen, M.D.
• Tacara N. Soones, M.D., M.P.H
  

Before a surgery, doctors should know their patients’ overall medical status to be sure they are as healthy as possible. That’s where the Internal Medicine Perioperative Assessment Center (IMPAC) comes in. The center helps determine our patients’ readiness in terms of nutrition, medications and smoking cessation and offers instructions to improve their well-being.

To do this, we need your help. If you have an appointment with IMPAC, please bring:

• All your medications in their original bottles
• The names and contact information of all your doctors, especially your primary care physician and cardiologist
• Your cardiac records from your cardiologist. You may also ask your cardiologist to fax your records to IMPAC at 713-563-4433.

Clinicians:

• Shuwei Gao, M.D.
• Jessica P. Hwang, M.D.   
• Gloria Iliescu, M.D.
• Ellen Manzullo, M.D., F.A.C.P.
• Jeong H. Oh, M.D.
• Tacara Soones, M.D., M.P.H
  
• Vinh Nguyen, M.D.
• Khanh D. Vu, M.D.
  

MD Anderson’s Onco-Nephrology Clinic focuses on the diagnosis and management of kidney-related problems in cancer patients.

The clinic treats patients who have kidney-related complications of cancer or who are at risk of developing kidney problems due to cancer treatments. Care is designed to help patients manage these conditions while minimizing disruptions to their cancer treatment.

Conditions treated at the clinic include:

• Acute kidney injury: A sudden loss of kidney function that can occur due to factors including dehydration, infections or side effects of cancer treatments like chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
• Chronic kidney disease: A progressive loss of kidney function that can be caused by cancer treatments, including stem cell transplantation for patients with diseases like leukemia and lymphoma, as well as nephrectomy (the surgical removal of one kidney) in patients with kidney cancer. Chronic kidney disease can also be caused by underlying medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.
• Electrolyte abnormalities: Imbalances of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, phosphorus and calcium.
• Nephrotic syndrome: A kidney disorder related to abnormal loss of protein in the urine. Nephrotic syndrome can be caused by cancer and cancer therapy-related kidney damage.
• Paraproteinemia-associated kidney diseases, including multiple myeloma and amyloidosis.
• Kidney care for patients who had a kidney transplant prior to their cancer diagnosis.

The Onco-Nephrology Clinic is open to existing MD Anderson patients. If you have or may have kidney problems, talk to your care team about a referral.

Clinic team

Farhad Danesh, M.D., Professor and Section Chief 

Ala Abudayyeh, M.D., Professor

Sheldon Chen, M.D., Professor

Amit Lahoti, M.D., Professor

Jamie S. Lin, M.D., Assistant Professor

Omar Mamlouk, M.D., Assistant Professor

Sreedhar Mandayam, M.D., Professor

Biruh Workeneh, M.D., Professor

Evelyn Acosta, MSN, RN  Advanced Practice Registered Nurse 

Justin Bull, MSN, RN Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

Marcus O. Campbell, MSN, RN Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

Ursula Chester, MSN, RN, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

Bindu Simon, MSN, RN  Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

Kenneth Ward, MSN, RN Advanced Practice Registered Nurse

The Mary Ann Weiser Suspicion of Cancer Clinic is here to diagnose possible cases of cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most effective.

The clinic sees new and existing MD Anderson patients. Patients are evaluated by Internal Medicine Center doctors and other specialists and may undergo scans or biopsies to establish a diagnosis.  Patients who are diagnosed with cancer have the choice to be treated at MD Anderson, where they can benefit from clinical trials and the cutting edge therapies.

Patients who have been told that they have a suspected case of cancer can schedule an appointment with the clinic directly by filling out our self-referral form or by calling 713-563-8300. We also accept physician referrals through the MyChart portal.

Clinicians:

• Gloria Iliescu, M.D.
• Ed Ostrin, M.D., Ph.D.