In The News

Jessica Sikazwe, nurse practitioner at Texas Oncology–Odessa West Texas Cancer Center, shared why screening and early detection of cancer is important, along with examples of patient stories in which screenings helped patients treat their cancer early. She emphasized that Texas Oncology offers different treatments for various types of cancer – such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy – and that patients do not have to travel to another city to receive treatment.

What should we look for when getting screened for breast cancer and what should we ask our physician during this visit? Aimee Mackey, M.D., FACS, Texas Breast Specialists-San Marcos and South Austin, joined In Focus Texas (Spectrum News 1, Austin) to answer these questions.

Unlocking the genetic “secrets” inside cancer cells is revolutionizing oncology. This advancement in medical science is the foundation of precision medicine, which provides patients with more personalized and targeted treatment, based on understanding the genetic information of a patient’s cancer.

Texas Oncology's evidence-based care model treats the whole patient, focusing on patient outcomes and significantly improving how cancer care is managed. These efforts are bolstered by innovations in biomarker testing, pencil-beam scanning, image-guided proton therapy, and CAR-T therapy, among others.

Jared Sturgeon, M.D., Ph.D., Texas Center for Proton Therapy, discusses how the move toward avoiding exposing cardiac tissue to radiation is an evolution in care that can make a significant difference in women’s heart health later in life, noting that proton therapy is especially suited to concentrating treatment on the target tissue and avoiding the heart and lungs.

Jared Sturgeon, M.D., Ph.D., Texas Center for Proton Therapy, shares how excess radiation can damage several critical areas of the heart, which can lead to a higher risk of coronary artery disease, including myocardial infarction and heart failure. However, for women diagnosed with breast cancer, advanced targeting technology at Texas Center for Proton Therapy can avoid needless irradiation and make a significant difference in women's heart health later in life.

PARP inhibitors have dramatically changed the cancer treatment paradigm, especially for ovarian cancer patient, Melinda Fiebig. Melinda joined SurvivorNet to share how PARP treatment really worked for her – and the best part was it didn’t interrupt her day-to-day life. 

Dallas-Fort Worth continues to prove it's home to some of the best businesses in the state. This year, Texas Oncology was ranked as one of the highly coveted top-10 business on Forbes' 2023 America's Best Employers By State list in Texas.

Texas Oncology announced the expansion of its services in the Rio Grande Valley region to include surgical oncology, with the addition of Vijian Dhevan, M.D., MBA, FACS, to the physician team. Dr. Dhevan is board-certified in general surgery and has expertise in surgical oncology, as well as bariatric, pediatric (non-oncology procedures), and robotic surgery.