In The News

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and many may be considering genetic testing for breast cancer. Jennifer Hecht, breast surgeon at Texas Breast Specialists–Fort Worth Cancer Center, explains that knowing your family history and personal risk can help your care team determine if genetic testing is appropriate.

Over the past 23 years, Mike Rasnick has been diagnosed with three separate types of cancer: cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), squamous cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. With the help of Bartlomiej Posnik, M.D., Texas Oncology–Bastrop, Krishna Patel, M.D., Texas Oncology–Georgetown and Round Rock North, and Courtney Sheinbein, M.D., Texas Oncology–Round Rock North, Mike received several forms of treatment to treat his cancers, including surgery and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Despite a complex and challenging triple cancer saga, Mike’s outlook is remarkably positive. “I wouldn’t be alive were it not for Texas Oncology,” says Mike. “The staff was incredible, and I can’t speak highly enough of them – I am profoundly grateful.”

In March 2023, Brad Cone was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Less than a year later, near the end of his cancer treatment, he celebrated 25 years as the sports announcer for the Cedar Park High School Timberwolves. Despite his diagnosis, he's never missed a single game, and during the last football game of the season, he shared with KTBC-TV how his love for football and the support of the Cedar Park sports community helped him through his fight with cancer. His oncologist, Ashleigh Porter, M.D., Texas Oncology–Cedar Park and Leander, also shared the importance of having hope and finding strength in one's community, noting that Brad's story exemplifies "a perfect recipe for success for any cancer patient."

National Hospice and Palliative Care Month is in November and Texas Oncology is recognizing the power of this important and deeply personalized care, and how hospice improves quality of life for patients near the end of life and supports those who love them, in their latest byline in the Austin and Houston Medical Times.

“In my 26 years as an oncologist, I’ve seen about five men with breast cancer,” says Carlos A. Encarnación, M.D., FACP, Texas Oncology-Hamilton and Horizon Circle. Dr. Encarnación joins KCEN-TV (NBC, Temple) to talk about the rarity of male breast cancer yet the importance of men recognizing the signs and symptoms to catch the disease early.

Jamie E. Terry, M.D., MHCE, FACS, Texas Breast Specialists-Houston Memorial City, Katy, Pearland shared with ESSENCE the science behind cold caps, a device that reduce the hair loss caused by some types of chemotherapy. Dr. Terry also shared the emotional impacts of hair loss and hair thinning can be categorized as a big component of successful or unsuccessful survivorship, something especially pertinent amongst Black women– who are often held to harsher standards regarding the appearance of their hair.

What happens when someone is diagnosed with breast cancer? Dr. Shail Dalal shares his advice so you know how to make the best decisions for you and your family regarding a cancer diagnosis and how to treat it.

Texas Oncology, one of the largest community-based oncology practices in the U.S., marked on October 13 the opening of its new 32,000-square-foot cancer care center, located on the CHRISTUS Southeast Texas St. Elizabeth campus. The new, larger center was built to enable Texas Oncology to provide an enhanced patient experience while meeting the growing need for cancer care in Beaumont and throughout Southeast Texas. 

Becker's Hospital Review listed 87 oncologists starting new roles across the United States. Among them is Vijian Dhevan, M.D., MBA, FACS, who joined Texas Oncology Surgical Specialists-Harlingen as a surgical oncologist, marking an expansion of Texas Oncology’s surgical services in the Valley.

Shail Dalal, M.D., Texas Oncology–Palestine Cancer Center, discusses the importance of screenings for the prevention of breast cancer, outlining signs and symptoms to look out for.