Achieving Accessible Cancer Care at Tennessee Oncology

Access to high-quality cancer care should not depend on where a patient lives. Yet for many patients in smaller communities, distance remains one of the greatest barriers to timely treatment—particularly in radiation oncology, where therapy often requires daily visits over several weeks.

Addressing that challenge is a core priority for Tennessee Oncology, where John G. Phillips, MD, MPH, recently stepped into the role of executive vice president of radiation oncology centers. Together, Phillips and Tennessee Oncology are pursuing a multiyear strategy to expand access by investing in comprehensive cancer centers in smaller communities, strengthening hospital partnerships, and bringing advanced therapies closer to where patients live.

“Many of the communities we serve have historically had limited access to radiation oncology,” Phillips said in an interview with CancerNetwork^®. “In many of these towns, we’re the only oncology provider—not because we’re pushing others out but because Tennessee Oncology is willing to invest in smaller communities to bring care within a reasonable distance for patients.”

A Strategy Built Around Community Access

Tennessee Oncology has traditionally partnered with hospitals to deliver radiation services. In recent years, however, the organization has shifted toward directly owning and operating radiation oncology programs as part of broader, comprehensive cancer centers—an evolution Phillips views as critical to improving access, quality, and consistency of care.

“Just a few years ago, we didn’t own any radiation oncology facilities,” Phillips explained. “Now we own 3 centers, with plans for further expansion. We have about 30 radiation oncologists on staff, with 5 additional hires coming over the next year. The growth has been just remarkable.”

In his executive vice president role, Phillips oversees radiation oncology operations across Tennessee Oncology’s network, with responsibility for clinical development, quality and safety initiatives, research integration, and radiopharmaceutical growth.

His long-term vision focuses on establishing comprehensive cancer centers in smaller communities across Tennessee—facilities that serve as anchors for multidisciplinary cancer care and strengthen local health care ecosystems.

“When you bring a comprehensive cancer center into a smaller community, it changes the health care landscape,” Phillips said. “There’s a halo effect. Other specialists feel more comfortable practicing there, hospitals become stronger partners, and patients no longer have to choose between convenience and quality.”

Drawn to Radiation Oncology Early

Phillips’ interest in oncology began early, shaped by personal experiences with family members and close friends undergoing cancer treatment. During training, he explored multiple cancer specialties before finding his fit in radiation oncology.

“That rotation combined technology, medicine, and patient relationships in a way that felt uniquely right,” he said.

With an undergraduate background in applied computer science, Phillips was drawn to the technological sophistication of the field.

“We use linear accelerators and particle-based technologies that would have sounded like science fiction a few decades ago,” he noted. “Being able to apply that level of technology directly to patient care was incredibly compelling.”

Equally important was the continuity of care that radiation oncology provides. Patients are seen multiple times per week, allowing clinicians to develop deeper relationships.

“You’re not just treating a disease,” Phillips said. “You’re walking alongside patients during some of the hardest weeks of their lives.”

Research, Innovation, and Leadership

Phillips completed his residency at Harvard Medical School and earned a master of public health degree from Harvard, later serving as an attending physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he focused on genitourinary and central nervous system tumors.

Among his proudest accomplishments was leading artificial intelligence (AI)–driven research at Harvard’s Computational Neuroscience Outcome Center, where his team applied machine learning and neural networks to predict outcomes in radiosurgery for patients with brain metastases—work that predated the widespread adoption of AI in oncology.

“That research helped us better understand how patients respond to treatment and how we might personalize care,” Phillips said. “It laid important groundwork for where the field is heading today.”

Theranostics: Advanced Molecular Imaging and Targeted Radioligand Therapy

A major focus of Phillips’ clinical and strategic leadership is theranostics, an emerging paradigm that integrates advanced molecular imaging with targeted radioligand therapy. By using specific radioisotopes to both visualize and treat cancer, theranostics enables highly personalized radiation delivery while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissue.

Phillips served as senior author on the American Society for Radiation Oncology white paper on quality and safety considerations for radiopharmaceutical therapy, which outlines how radiation oncology practices can safely implement these treatments. The paper provides guidance on infrastructure, staffing, training, and multidisciplinary coordination—critical components for responsibly expanding access beyond large academic medical centers.

“There’s a real national access issue coming with radiopharmaceuticals,” Phillips said. “The goal of the white paper was to show that radiation oncologists can safely and effectively deliver these therapies and to provide a clear framework for how to do it well.”

Phillips points to prostate-specific membrane antigen PET (PSMA-PET) imaging in prostate cancer as a defining example of how theranostics is already reshaping care.

“PSMA-PET imaging changed the way we stage prostate cancer,” Phillips said. “Then the addition of PSMA-targeted radiation therapy, such as lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan (Pluvicto), is changing the way we treat it. We’re hopeful to see similar advances across a broad range of cancer types.”

At Tennessee Oncology, Phillips is focused on ensuring that both components of theranostics—advanced molecular imaging and radioligand therapy—are accessible to patients treated in smaller communities, not just in major metropolitan or academic settings.

“Our mission at Tennessee Oncology, and my goal in this role, is to eliminate geography as a barrier to cancer care,” Phillips said. “If we can prevent patients from experiencing delayed or missed treatment simply because care was too far away and if we can bring world-class cancer care, including clinical trial access, into communities that have historically lacked it, that’s the work we’re here to do.”

Building Roads to Care

As Phillips settles into his new role, access remains the unifying theme across Tennessee Oncology’s growth strategy—from expanding comprehensive cancer centers in smaller communities to launching radiopharmaceutical programs and strengthening palliative care and survivorship services.

In Tullahoma, Tennessee Oncology is currently building a comprehensive cancer center designed to provide the same level of care that patients would receive in Nashville, without the burden of long-distance travel.

“Tennessee Oncology’s mission, and my goal in this new role, is to eliminate geography as a barrier to cancer care,” Phillips said. “If we can prevent patients from experiencing delayed or missed treatment simply because care was too far away and if we can bring world-class cancer care and research into communities that have historically lacked it, that’s the work we’re here to do.”