We make it as easy as possible to access the care you need. With more than 250 locations, you are likely to find a provider near where you live and work.
Everybody Has a Story
Emotions run high when you have a serious disease that needs serious treatment. Explore resources and advise to support your care journey.
For some, cancer is found through routine screening tests. For many, cancer does not cause problems until it has progressed enough to cause symptoms. Some people notice unusual pain, fatigue, fever, or weight loss. Others experience shortness of breath, drenching night sweats, or develop a suspicious lump. In most cases, cancer is a suspect because of the combination of symptoms that may be brought on by a number of different diseases.
Physicians generally perform a series of special blood tests and imaging procedures (such as PET or CT scans) to determine if cancer does exist and the extent to which it may have spread. Usually cells are removed from the area of disease so that they can be viewed closely under a microscope.
Removal of tissues for microscopic review is called a biopsy. Depending on the type of cancer, a biopsy procedure may occur via surgery, blood testing, needle aspiration, or tissue scraping. Biopsy specimens are reviewed by specialized physicians known as pathologists. The pathology report describes the cell type, whether the cells are normal or abnormal, and the degree and scope of abnormality.
When cells are found to be abnormal, or malignant, then a specific cancer diagnosis is made by the pathologist and reported to your doctor in a pathology report. With a surgical procedure, the pathologist will also look at the tissue that was removed to see if the margins (outer edges) contain cancer cells. If cancer cells are seen at the edges of the tissue, the margins are called "positive." Positive margins can mean that some cancer was left behind. When no cancer is seen at the edges of the tissue, the margins are said to be "negative," "clean," or "clear."
Staging is the process of finding out how much cancer is in the body, where it is located, and if it has spread. Doctors use staging information to plan treatment and to help determine a person's prognosis, or outlook for survival. Cancers of the same type, diagnosed at the same stage, usually have a similar prognosis and are often treated the same way.
There are several different staging systems. Each system is somewhat specific to individual types of cancer. The TNM staging system (Tumor, Node, Metastasis) is the most common system, and it describes the extent of the primary (main) tumor, whether nearby lymph nodes contain cancer cells, and if metastatic disease is present.
Preparing to fight cancer naturally raises many questions. Cancer is complicated. Sometimes, just knowing what to expect makes a world of difference. We encourage you to ask as many questions as often as you need.
The first step toward recovery is selecting where you will receive treatment. Our treatment facilities are located conveniently in neighborhoods across Texas and our patient service representatives are ready for your call. When you call, you will be asked several questions about your diagnosis to get you scheduled with the right doctor. Our patient service representatives can also answer many of your questions.
Your first appointment may be with a medical oncologist or surgeon, depending on your circumstances. All of our physicians are experts in treating cancer, and you are their focus.
We want to make your first visit a smooth, comfortable experience. Several days before your appointment, you’ll receive a packet of information with more details about where we’re located and what you need to bring with you.
We ask that you arrive about 30 minutes early to complete some routine paperwork. If you’d prefer, you can complete most forms in advance and bring them with you.
Plan to spend two to three hours with us at your first appointment. It will be comprehensive and may include:
We’ll allow as much time as you need to answer your questions, explain your cancer type and treatment options, and outline the next steps. Your treatment will likely not begin at your first appointment.
Good communication between you and your medical team is essential. You’re the expert on your body. Make sure you bring up any concerns to your doctor and healthcare team. Your first appointment is also the ideal time to bring the list of questions you created.
We encourage you to bring a family member or friend to your appointment participate in the discussion. They may hear something you missed, think of different questions to ask, or take notes.
When you finish your first appointment, step back and take a deep breath. You’ve taken a significant step and have a plan to move forward.
We’ll need to know your medical history and the care you have received. Please bring the following items to your first appointment:
Medical Records
We’ll request medical records concerning your cancer diagnosis and treatment but need your authorization. These records include:
Referring Physician Information
Your oncologist will need to communicate directly with your primary care and/or referring physician(s). This allows us to share information and determine the best treatment for your disease.
Your Texas Oncology medical team may send copies of your test results and reports to your other doctor(s) and follow-up with them for collaboration on your cancer and treatment plan.
Insurance and ID Cards
Please bring your insurance card and photo ID. If your insurance company requires a referral for your first visit, please make sure your referring doctor has sent it to us.
Questions and Concerns
We encourage you to bring a list of questions to discuss with your physician. We’ll allow as much time as you need to answer all of your questions, explain your cancer type, your treatment options, and outline next steps.
Forms
At your first appointment, you’ll be asked to complete several patient forms. You can save time by printing and completing them in advance and bringing them with you.
Medications
Please bring a complete list of all medications you take, the bottles and packages, or your completed Medication and Allergy List form.
You’ll likely have many questions. We recommend writing them down as they occur to you and bringing them to your appointments. We’ll give you as much time as necessary to answer them. We also recommend bringing a family member or friend to take notes, listen to the discussion, and provide support.
Here are some of the most common questions we answer. As you read them, more may come to mind.
Treatment options vary by disease type, location, and extent of metastasis. Just as there are many different types of cancer, there are many types of treatments. The most common cancer treatments are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. It is common for patients to receive more than one form of treatment during the course of their illness. It is important to discuss your treatment options in detail with your physician.
Ask questions about how long each treatment takes, how long your treatment regimen will last, and how often you will have to get treatment. Discuss possible side effects that could occur during and after treatments. Other questions to consider:
After learning about a cancer diagnosis, many patients soon realize that all aspects of their lives can be impacted. Family, work, finances, social outlets, self-image, and sexuality are some of the most essential components of who we are. Cancer affects everything about how we see ourselves today and in the future.
Understanding your cancer diagnosis helps to prepare for today’s treatment and tomorrow’s outcome. Whether your diagnosis is simple or complex, you can be prepared to think about and discuss your diagnosis with your physicians, family, and friends.
Ask questions and take notes during your appointments. Talk with your doctor about goals for your treatment and discuss expectations for treatment results. Learning about your diagnosis will help you make informed decisions about your cancer, your treatment, and your life beyond cancer.
Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person’s life, normal cells divide more quickly until the person becomes an adult. After that, cells in most parts of the body divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells and to repair injuries.
Cancer cells develop because of damage to DNA. DNA is in every cell and directs all of the cell’s activities. Most of the time when DNA becomes damaged, either the cell dies or is able to repair the DNA. In cancer cells, the damaged DNA is not repaired. People can inherit damaged DNA, which accounts for inherited cancers. Many times though, a person’s DNA becomes damaged by things in the environment, such as chemicals, viruses, tobacco smoke, or too much sunlight.
Benign tumors are not cancer. In fact, they are rarely life threatening. In most cases, when benign tumors are removed, they do not grow back. They do not invade the surrounding tissues, and they do not spread to other parts of the body.
On the other hand, malignant tumors are cancerous. They are typically more serious than benign tumors and can be life threatening. Sometimes, malignant tumors can be removed, but they may later return in either the same location or somewhere else in the body. They can invade nearby tissue and damage nearby organs. They can spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body. They can spread by breaking away from their primary site and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Once they have spread to other parts of the body, they can attach to organs or bone and form new tumors.
The spread of cancer cells is called metastasis. This occurs when some of the cancer cells break away and travel through the blood stream or the lymph system. If the cancer spreads to another area of the body, it is still the same cancer. For example, if prostate cancer cells metastasize to bone, it is not bone cancer. They are still prostate cancer cells and, therefore, the treatment is still for prostate cancer. To determine if your cancer has spread, your physician may order additional diagnostic tests.
Cancer is the general name for a group of more than 200 diseases where cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because abnormal cells grow out of control. Untreated cancers can cause serious illness and death.
Not all cancers are the same, even when they share a common name. Cancers can begin in many different parts of the body. Different types of cancer can act very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people with cancer need treatments that target their specific type of cancer. As research into the genetic and molecular make up of cancer cells advances, oncologists have an increasingly clearer view of how to personalize treatment plans for patients.
For some, cancer is found through routine screening tests. For many, cancer does not cause problems until it has progressed enough to cause symptoms. Some people notice unusual pain, fatigue, fever, or weight loss. Others experience shortness of breath, drenching night sweats, or develop a suspicious lump. In most cases, cancer is a suspect because of the combination of symptoms that may be brought on by a number of different diseases.
Physicians generally perform a series of special blood tests and imaging procedures (such as PET or CT scans) to determine if cancer does exist and the extent to which it may have spread. Usually cells are removed from the area of disease so that they can be viewed closely under a microscope.
Removal of tissues for microscopic review is called a biopsy. Depending on the type of cancer, a biopsy procedure may occur via surgery, blood testing, needle aspiration, or tissue scraping. Biopsy specimens are reviewed by specialized physicians known as pathologists. The pathology report describes the cell type, whether the cells are normal or abnormal, and the degree and scope of abnormality.
When cells are found to be abnormal, or malignant, then a specific cancer diagnosis is made by the pathologist and reported to your doctor in a pathology report. With a surgical procedure, the pathologist will also look at the tissue that was removed to see if the margins (outer edges) contain cancer cells. If cancer cells are seen at the edges of the tissue, the margins are called "positive." Positive margins can mean that some cancer was left behind. When no cancer is seen at the edges of the tissue, the margins are said to be "negative," "clean," or "clear."
Staging is the process of finding out how much cancer is in the body, where it is located, and if it has spread. Doctors use staging information to plan treatment and to help determine a person's prognosis, or outlook for survival. Cancers of the same type, diagnosed at the same stage, usually have a similar prognosis and are often treated the same way.
There are several different staging systems. Each system is somewhat specific to individual types of cancer. The TNM staging system (Tumor, Node, Metastasis) is the most common system, and it describes the extent of the primary (main) tumor, whether nearby lymph nodes contain cancer cells, and if metastatic disease is present.
Preparing to fight cancer naturally raises many questions. Cancer is complicated. Sometimes, just knowing what to expect makes a world of difference. We encourage you to ask as many questions as often as you need.
The first step toward recovery is selecting where you will receive treatment. Our treatment facilities are located conveniently in neighborhoods across Texas and our patient service representatives are ready for your call. When you call, you will be asked several questions about your diagnosis to get you scheduled with the right doctor. Our patient service representatives can also answer many of your questions.
Your first appointment may be with a medical oncologist or surgeon, depending on your circumstances. All of our physicians are experts in treating cancer, and you are their focus.
We want to make your first visit a smooth, comfortable experience. Several days before your appointment, you’ll receive a packet of information with more details about where we’re located and what you need to bring with you.
We ask that you arrive about 30 minutes early to complete some routine paperwork. If you’d prefer, you can complete most forms in advance and bring them with you.
Plan to spend two to three hours with us at your first appointment. It will be comprehensive and may include:
We’ll allow as much time as you need to answer your questions, explain your cancer type and treatment options, and outline the next steps. Your treatment will likely not begin at your first appointment.
Good communication between you and your medical team is essential. You’re the expert on your body. Make sure you bring up any concerns to your doctor and healthcare team. Your first appointment is also the ideal time to bring the list of questions you created.
We encourage you to bring a family member or friend to your appointment participate in the discussion. They may hear something you missed, think of different questions to ask, or take notes.
When you finish your first appointment, step back and take a deep breath. You’ve taken a significant step and have a plan to move forward.
We’ll need to know your medical history and the care you have received. Please bring the following items to your first appointment:
Medical Records
We’ll request medical records concerning your cancer diagnosis and treatment but need your authorization. These records include:
Referring Physician Information
Your oncologist will need to communicate directly with your primary care and/or referring physician(s). This allows us to share information and determine the best treatment for your disease.
Your Texas Oncology medical team may send copies of your test results and reports to your other doctor(s) and follow-up with them for collaboration on your cancer and treatment plan.
Insurance and ID Cards
Please bring your insurance card and photo ID. If your insurance company requires a referral for your first visit, please make sure your referring doctor has sent it to us.
Questions and Concerns
We encourage you to bring a list of questions to discuss with your physician. We’ll allow as much time as you need to answer all of your questions, explain your cancer type, your treatment options, and outline next steps.
Forms
At your first appointment, you’ll be asked to complete several patient forms. You can save time by printing and completing them in advance and bringing them with you.
Medications
Please bring a complete list of all medications you take, the bottles and packages, or your completed Medication and Allergy List form.
You’ll likely have many questions. We recommend writing them down as they occur to you and bringing them to your appointments. We’ll give you as much time as necessary to answer them. We also recommend bringing a family member or friend to take notes, listen to the discussion, and provide support.
Here are some of the most common questions we answer. As you read them, more may come to mind.
Treatment options vary by disease type, location, and extent of metastasis. Just as there are many different types of cancer, there are many types of treatments. The most common cancer treatments are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy. It is common for patients to receive more than one form of treatment during the course of their illness. It is important to discuss your treatment options in detail with your physician.
Ask questions about how long each treatment takes, how long your treatment regimen will last, and how often you will have to get treatment. Discuss possible side effects that could occur during and after treatments. Other questions to consider:
