Stanford Medicine Sutter Cancer Center Opens in Oakland
The outpatient center, operated by Stanford Medicine and Sutter Health, is set to open to patients on December 1, 2026.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Cancer
Stanford Medicine and Sutter Health held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Stanford Medicine Sutter Health Cancer Center in Oakland. The outpatient center opens to patients on December 1, 2026, on Sutter Health's Alta Bates Summit Medical Center campus.
Why it matters
The center brings clinical research and multidisciplinary cancer care from both health systems to Oakland residents in one location. Its launch expands local access to outpatient cancer services without requiring patients to travel elsewhere for specialized treatment.
The center launches with more than 70 physicians and advanced practice providers and more than 300 staff members. It offers outpatient clinics, infusion, imaging, radiation oncology, ambulatory surgery, breast health, pharmacy, clinical research, genetic counseling, nurse navigation, and survivorship programs.
The players
Stanford Medicine
Stanford Medicine is the academic medical center of Stanford University, based in Palo Alto, California, and is a co-operator of the new Oakland cancer center.
Sutter Health
Sutter Health is a nonprofit health system headquartered in Sacramento, California, whose Alta Bates Summit Medical Center campus hosts the cancer center.
The details
Physicians from both systems work in disease-based clinical teams at the center, and patients have on-site access to clinical research from both organizations. The center is expected to be fully operational by February 2027, following its December 1, 2026 opening.
Timeline
November 9, 2026: Ribbon-cutting ceremony and Stanford Medicine news release
December 1, 2026: Center opens to patients
February 2027: Center expected to be fully operational
Health Landscape
The partnership extends the academic clinical research model of Stanford Medicine into a community outpatient setting operated with Sutter Health. The arrangement places disease-based multidisciplinary teams and on-site trials in an Oakland facility rather than only at the academic center in Palo Alto.
Oakland patients can access outpatient cancer services, including infusion, radiation oncology, breast health, and genetic counseling, at a single location on the Alta Bates Summit campus. Patients also gain on-site access to clinical research from both health systems.
The takeaway
Patients seeking cancer care in Oakland now have a new outpatient option that combines multidisciplinary teams with on-site clinical research. Those planning care should check the center's services and staffing as it opens in December.
What happens next
The center is scheduled to open to patients on December 1, 2026, and is expected to be fully operational by February 2027.
Further reading
For more on treatment options, explore the Cancer coverage on Wisevoter.
