Cancer Care Northwest was founded in 1975 as Spokane Oncology & Hematology by Dr. Turner Wood, a highly respected cancer physician. In 1999, the practice was purchased by U.S. Oncology, a nationwide network of oncology practices. With this partnership came new access to cancer technologies, research programs, and management and funding resources. It was a strategic move that allowed us to recruit leading oncologists and expand our services.
Later that year, Cancer Care Northwest moved into a spacious 23,500-square-foot facility in south Spokane, realizing our vision of providing the region with a new model of cancer care. As the first fully integrated cancer center in the Inland Northwest, the South Clinic offered patients comprehensive cancer care at one convenient location, including on-site lab, nursing, medical oncology, surgical oncology, and diagnostic imaging.
To meet the needs of the community, we opened a new 12,500-square-foot treatment center in north Spokane in June 2000. The state-of-the-art North Clinic enhanced our research capabilities and made treatment more convenient for patients. That same year, we also opened our Spokane Valley Clinic to improve our Valley patients’ access to our comprehensive services. Jan. 1, 2008, Cancer Care Northwest separated from our longtime partner, U.S. Oncology, to become a physician-owned practice. The separation allowed our physicians to pursue their long-term vision for providing integrated cancer services.
Also in 2008, Cancer Care Northwest purchased Spokane’s first GE Discovery PET/CT scanner for the CCNW Downtown Clinic. This sophisticated technology gave our patients access to the most advanced imaging services in the region.
In 2009, we further enhanced our services by adding a full team of support services, including counseling, nutrition, and patient navigation services. The addition of these new cancer specialists to our integrated care teams improved our ability to provide the highest level of cancer care to our patients.
Then in 2012, we added a new 38,000 square foot facility in Spokane Valley, offering all our latest technology and most experienced specialists under one roof. During this time, we also teamed up with Providence Hospitals and Kootenai Health to form The Alliance for Cancer Care, saturating our expert radiation services throughout the entire Spokane and Coeur d’Alene metropolitan area. Our highly experienced radiation oncologists now manage radiation treatment for these organizations, leading the Inland Northwest in offering patients the latest technology available. Cancer Care Northwest radiation services are available at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Kootenai Clinic Cancer Services in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, and at three Cancer Care Northwest clinics throughout the area.
In January 2017, Cancer Care Northwest, in partnership with The Alliance for Cancer Care, installed the first Elekta Linear Accelerator within the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center Clinic. The region's most innovative radiation system, this state-of-the-art, image-guided technology delivers precise radiation treatments in shorter amounts of time. To date, Elekta Linear Accelerators have been installed at all Cancer Care Northwest clinics that offer radiation therapy services, including the Spokane Valley Clinic, The Alliance for Cancer Care clinics in Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene, as well as two Elekta Linear Accelerators within our North Spokane Clinic. We are the only provider in the region using the Elekta Radiation treatment system, the same technology used by the country’s top cancer treatment centers.
In early 2021, Cancer Care Northwest moved its PET/CT Center from the Downtown clinic to a newly renovated wing of the South Clinic. At this time, we also purchased the Discovery IQ 4-ring PET/CT scanner. One of the few in the region, this machine provides patients with a decreased scan time, decreased isotope and radiation dose, and an ultra-high sensitivity imaging experience with access to two powerful diagnostic procedures that when combined, can detect cancer in its earliest stages
We are proud to be the only privately owned, fully integrated cancer treatment center in the Inland Northwest. Since our beginnings, we have served the region with comprehensive, innovative, compassionate care. We are committed to providing, and continuously improving, our premier cancer care in the decades to come. We truly are the destination you seek for cancer care.