At VCU Massey Cancer Center we have implemented changes in our clinics to mitigate the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and keep our patients and medical teams safe. Our providers are highly trained at screening for and managing highly infectious diseases, and we are regularly updating our care practices.
Patient care and visitor information
FAQ: COVID-19 vaccines and cancer patients
ONCOLOGY PATIENTS Help us keep you, all our patients and team members safe. If you’re scheduled for an appointment and experiencing any cold or flu-like symptoms, please contact your primary oncology provider or CIT physician at least three days before your appointment. Your provider may order a COVID-19 test so we are better prepared to prevent possible spread. Click here to learn about the common symptoms associated with COVID-19, the flu and a cold.
Need vaccine? Learn how to get your shot at Vaccinate.Virginia.gov or call 1-877-VAX-IN-VA. 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Language translation available, TTY users dial 7-1-1.
Photo caption: Audrey Roberson receives VCU Health's first COVID-19 vaccination. (Photo: Kevin Morley, University Marketing)
COVID-19, Research
Feb 14, 2022
We’ve all heard them. Conspiracy theories and rumors about COVID-19 are rampant on the internet, and while some are relatively harmless, such as the belief that drinking water frequently will stave off infection, others are more dangerous, sowing seeds of mistrust in vaccines or leading people to sw...
COVID-19
Dec 20, 2021
Our experts answer your questions. As a cancer patient, you may wonder whether the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for you. Here, our experts from VCU Massey Cancer Center answer common questions about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine and booster shots for cancer patients. How dangerous is COVID-19 f...
COVID-19
Dec 14, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends everyone six months of age and older should get a flu shot every year. With winter and flu season underway, John McCarty, M.D., director of the Cellular Immunotherapies and Transplant Program and member of the Developmental Therapeutics rese...
Clinical, COVID-19, Prevention & Control
Oct 28, 2021
Beth Tetrault knew she had dense breast tissue that put her at a higher risk for breast cancer, which is why she never missed her annual mammogram. But when she received a follow-up call in January 2021 about abnormal results, Tetrault was not prepared for her eventual diagnosis with a form of earl...
COVID-19
Aug 19, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that moderately to severely immunocompromised people receive an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose. This recommendation arises from recently published data showing a lower vaccine response in patients with reduced immune function who...
Community Engagement & Health Equity, COVID-19
Jun 04, 2021
Several times a year, Mindy Conklin packs up a ten-foot inflatable colon and hits the road. She visits schools, health fairs, free clinics and hospitals across Virginia. Conklin, the founder and executive director of Hitting Cancer Below the Belt (HCB2), connects with individuals during her stops t...
Community Engagement & Health Equity, COVID-19
Jun 03, 2021
One day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new COVID-19 masking guidelines, Virginia faith leaders gathered virtually as part of VCU Massey Cancer Center’s weekly webinar, Facts and Faith Fridays, to learn how the change will affect their communities and congregations....
COVID-19
Feb 10, 2021
A new study led by VCU Massey Cancer Center researcher Jeanine Guidry, Ph.D., a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control research program, found that parents of children with cancer were more likely to believe misinformation and unverifiable content associated with COVID-19 than parents of child...
COVID-19
Dec 17, 2020
VCU Medical Center began COVID-19 vaccinations of its first front-line team members Wednesday afternoon. Robert Winn, M.D., director of VCU Massey Cancer Center, was one of seven people who volunteered to be the first to receive the new vaccine. “This day is about the opportunity to take care of one...
COVID-19, Research
Oct 13, 2020
For every two deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the U.S., a third American dies as a result of the pandemic, according to study findings from Steven Woolf, M.D., M.P.H., member of the Cancer Prevention and Control research program at VCU Massey Cancer Center. The study, published in the Journal of th...
COVID-19
Jun 26, 2020
Virginia Commonwealth University researchers began two clinical trials this week on a potential, experimental treatment for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus rapidly spreading across the globe. The trials will be led by Arun Sanyal, M.D., a member of the Cancer Cell Signaling and Cancer Prevention...
COVID-19
Jun 22, 2020
As of Friday, January 8, VCU Massey Cancer Center is suspending all in-person visits to hospitalized patients for the duration of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This temporary, full visitor restriction policy is designed to keep our team members, patients and community safe. Exceptions inc...
COVID-19
Jun 18, 2020
We want to continue to keep everyone onsite at VCU Massey Cancer Center safe during COVID-19. To do this, we are following the face mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and are requiring everyone in our environment to wear a face mask. If you do not have a face mask, we ...
COVID-19
Jun 15, 2020
Early diagnosis and isolation of patients with COVID-19 is a keystone for controlling the pandemic and allowing phased reopening in Virginia. While testing capacity has grown, quick turnaround for patient results remains critical. To address this need, Rebecca Martin, Ph.D., Massey research member a...
Community Engagement & Health Equity, COVID-19
Jun 12, 2020
Amid worldwide protests over systemic racism, a Richmond-area congresswoman, Virginia’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, and the director of VCU Massey Cancer Center hosted a virtual town hall Wednesday to discuss the disproportionate ways that minority communities have been affected b...
COVID-19
Jun 12, 2020
A clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of high-dose intravenous vitamin C (HDIVC) to treat COVID-19 and reduce the need for intensive care was co-developed by a Massey researcher and is underway at the Hunter Holmes Mcguire Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the McGuire Research Institute. Howard...
COVID-19
May 20, 2020
In mid-March as confirmed COVID-19 cases began spreading across the Richmond area, VCU Massey Cancer Center physician-researcher Douglas Arthur, M.D., shared with his wife, Shelly, his concerns about the nationwide shortage of face masks for health care workers and the risk of coronavirus exposure t...
COVID-19
May 20, 2020
Massey researcher Michael H. Peters, Ph.D., is using powerful supercomputers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley to investigate the “spike” protein of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Through advanced computer simulations, Peters hopes to determine the mechanisti...
COVID-19
May 15, 2020
VCU Massey Cancer Center is implementing COVID-19 testing for patients on active cancer treatment, especially those receiving chemotherapy, selected patients receiving radiation therapy and before surgery. The testing, which involves a nasal swab, is performed 48 hours prior to their treatment and ...
COVID-19, Research
May 14, 2020
Someday, hundreds of millions of vaccinations against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 could show up in people’s mailboxes and be applied as simply as slapping on a Band-Aid. That’s the vision of Guizhi “Julian” Zhu, Ph.D., a member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at VCU Masse...
Treatments in clinical trials may be more effective or have fewer side effects than the treatments that are currently available. With more than 200 studies for multiple types of cancers and cancer prevention, Massey supports a wide array of clinical trials.
Massey supports hundreds of top cancer specialists serving the needs of our patients. Massey’s medical team provides a wealth of expertise in cancer diagnosis, treatment, prevention and symptom management.
