Nikhil Kamat, MD
Nikhil Kamat, MD
- Physician, Fred Hutch
- Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine
Medical Oncology
“Treating cancer goes beyond understanding the disease. The best care is based on a foundation of careful listening. I see myself not just as a clinician, but also as a guide to help patients navigate the choices and make an informed decision about their future.”
— Dr. Kamat
Why did you decide to specialize in your disease/treatment focus?
Over the past year and a half, I have been in the prostate cancer research group working on immunotherapies for prostate cancer. I was drawn to immunotherapy because of its power to redirect the immune system to eliminate cancer. My experience with prostate cancer led me to my current interest in genitourinary oncology. The treatment is challenging, and immunotherapy is an emerging platform that is poised to make a lot of traction as we learn more about how to treat these patients.
What's your favorite memory of working with a patient?
I had a patient who was diagnosed with an immune mediated RBC disorder. She had been through a lot of different treatments that didn't work so she'd been referred to Fred Hutch. I noted subtle changes to the size of the patient's red blood cells over time that led me to believe that the patient was slowly losing iron through the urinary tract. This is an often forgotten pathway of iron loss, so no one had thought to recheck her iron years after her initial diagnosis. We tested for it and lo and behold, she was low on iron. Within a month, she was weaned off many medications. Watching her health improve was so satisfying.
Provider Background
Specialty: Medical Oncology
Gastrointestinal and genitourinary oncology
Treatment of gastrointestinal and genitourinary malignancies, benign hematology.
Community Oncology
Our mission is to provide patients with the highest quality, personalized care closer to home. As part of Fred Hutch, our community oncologists offer patients multidisciplinary tumor board opinions, clinical trials and expertise in treating a variety of cancers.
Diseases Treated
Languages
English
Education, Experience and Certifications
Medical Degree
Keck School of Medicine, USC
Residency
Stanford University, Internal Medicine
Fellowship
University of Washington Medical School, Hematology/Oncology
Washington State Medical License
Active through 2022
Board Certifications
Internal Medicine, 2018; Medical Oncology, 2021; Hematology, 2021, American Board of Internal Medicine
Awards
Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, 2018
Published research
Your Care Team
At Fred Hutch, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes doctors, a patient care coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like nutritionists, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders.
Insurance
Fred Hutch accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.
For the Media
The Media Relations team at Fred Hutch is available to assist members of the news media who would like to arrange interviews with providers.
Email media@fredhutch.org or call 206.667.2210