In The News

Thiru V. Lakshman, M.D., FACS, FASCRS, Texas Colon & Rectal Specialists-Austin Central and Austin North, joined KTBC-TV's (FOX, Austin) Rebecca Thomas to talk about risks and prevention this Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. 

Dr. Ted Voloyiannis, a Houston colon and rectal surgeon at Texas Oncology, participated in a surgical simulation on the International Space Station. “Nobody ever thought, me included, that one day I would be able to do remote surgery out of this world,” Dr. Voloyiannis said. “That tells you how our capabilities and technology modes have progressed in medicine and surgery.”

 

The mental health struggle that accompanies a cancer diagnosis is real, and the burden of dealing with so many conflicting emotions falls not only on the patients but also on their caregivers, families, friends, and physicians. Kathryn E. Hudson, M.D., director of survivorship and medical oncologist at Texas Oncology-Austin Central explains the complex picture of emotions patients feel throughout their cancer journey and why mental health support should be a part of all cancer care.

Fredella Prather, 59, never had a colonoscopy until she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the fall of 2020. Her diagnosis came shortly after her best friend Trudy lost her own battle with cancer; watching Trudy’s journey gave Fredella strength to persevere and advocate for herself throughout treatment, reminding her to accept help and support from others. Fredella underwent chemotherapy and radiation followed by a robotic-assisted surgery to remove her tumor. Today, her scans are clear, and she advocates for cancer screenings with her friends and family whenever she can.

A small surgical robot at the International Space Station completed its first surgery demo in zero gravity last week, and one of the surgeons tasked with the remote robotic operations on simulated tissue was Houston-based Theodoros Voloyiannis, M.D., FACS, FASCRS, a colorectal surgeon at Texas Colon & Rectal Specialists. 

Scans are an essential part of cancer treatment and survivorship care, so recognizing and managing scanxiety is essential to help patients get the care they need. Shaun P. McKenzie, M.D., FACS, Texas Oncology Surgical Specialists–Round Rock and South Austin and Antonio Nathan Villamor III, M.D., colorectal surgeon, Texas Colon & Rectal Specialists–Pasadena, explain that while colonoscopies often have a reputation for being stressful, painful, or embarrassing, this common procedure is usually quick and can be done under different types of anesthesia.

Carl G. Chakmakjian, D.O., FACP, medical oncologist at Texas Oncology–Gatesville, Mexia, and Waco, joined his longtime cervical cancer patient Amy Faulkner on Central Texas Life with Ann Harder to discuss Amy’s treatment journey over the past eight years. Amy, a high school teacher, shares how she balanced school and treatment, how her family was her best support system, and how her cancer treatment even inspired her daughter to become a nurse.

Along with remarkable advancements in life-saving cancer care, medical researchers also are making major progress in mitigating the potential impact some cancer treatment can have on the heart. James Wilder, M.D., of Texas Oncology–Palestine Cancer Center, Paris, and Pittsburg, shares how cancer treatments affect the heart and how innovations like cardioprotective medications, advanced imaging techniques, precision medicine, biomarkers, and proton therapy work to mitigate this impact.

In a test that featured half a dozen surgeons from across the United States, includingTheodoros Voloyiannis, M.D., FACS, FASCRS, a colon and rectal surgeon at Texas Colon & Rectal Specialists–Webster, a miniature robot created at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln successfully completed a surgical simulation aboard the International Space Station. It is the first surgical robot aboard the space station and one of the first times remote surgery tasks have been tested in space.

Texas Center for Proton Therapy has been serving cancer patients in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond for eight years, providing leading-edge patient care by not only ridding patients of cancer, but maximizing their quality of life during treatment and beyond — even decades later.