Healthy RGV Issue 103 - What All Men Need to Know

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · JUNE 2017
Group, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, and
Children’s Oncology Group. We collaborate with
physicians from around the world, to create
treatment breakthroughs for patients in Uvalde,
Katy, Dallas, or here in McAllen. And we do that
with a community-based approach that removes
the feeling of isolation during treatment and
eliminates the burden of frequent travel for
appointments at distant facilities.
We offer patients promising
innovative clinical trials involving
new drugs, surgical procedures,
vaccines, and therapies.
Research may also focus on preventive care,
screening processes, and diagnostics —all
designed to prevent and treat cancer more
effectively.
There are benefits for patients interested in
participating in cancer research or a clinical trial,
including playing an active role in your healthcare
and getting access to new treatments. Some
patients are also inspired by the opportunity to
help further medical research in Texas. Clinical
trials aren’t right for every patient, but those
who are interested should talk to their physician
about their eligibility. Age, cancer type and stage
of the cancer, as well as previous treatments and
overall medical history, all are considerations in
determining a patient’s eligibility.
PAVING THE WAY FOR
COMMUNITY-BASED
CANCER RESEARCH
Sleek medical towers shaping
the skylines of bustling large
cities. A sea of lab coats on busy
researchers spilling out of elevators
and hallways, strolling across vast
campuses. These images come to
mind when you think of where the newest cancer
breakthroughs are being discovered.
But I’d like to paint a different picture: A
retiree and fitness enthusiast from a suburban
community sits in a treatment room in a
small office building in Austin talking with an
experienced, renowned brain cancer researcher
about a life-saving clinical trial. Or, an oncologist
in a clinic in Bedford, partnering in a national
pharmaceutical research project, administers
to an elementary school teacher a unique
combination of one of the most advanced
immunotherapy drugs available combined with
traditional chemotherapy.
That picture, of leading-edge clinical trials,
accessible to patients near their homes and loved
ones, requiring no more travel or disruption than
an afternoon shopping trip, is the very real image
of community-based oncology research. As a
pioneering community oncology practice, Texas
Oncology offers patients uncompromising quality
care that includes a special focus on research. Our
physicians, together with our patients, are helping
pave the way for new breakthroughs in cancer
treatment at many of our locations in large cities,
suburbs, and small town across Texas.
To date, Texas Oncology has contributed to
more than 60 FDA approved cancer therapies.
Each year, we help make it possible for more
than 2,000 of our patients to be involved in
clinical trials within the areas of breast, lung,
colon, and prostate cancers. Our specialists
are participants in national and global research
consortiums such as the Gynecologic Oncology
We are committed to providing patients an
optimal setting to receive high-quality cancer
treatment while also participating in clinical
trials that are appropriate for them. These trials
exemplify what we believe cancer research should
be – accessible to our patients in their own
communities, with physicians and care teams they
already know and trust.
I’m proud to be a part of the pioneering cancer
research happening at Texas Oncology. We’re
making it possible for patients to have access
to some of the most promising new cancer
treatments – all while advancing cancer care for
tomorrow.
ALVARO
RESTREPO, MD
Alvaro Restrepo, M.D., is
a medical oncologist at
Texas Oncology–McAllen,
1901 South 2nd Street in
McAllen, Texas .
To learn more about
exciting advancements in
cancer treatment, visit
www.TexasOncology.com or
call 1-888-864-I CAN (4226).
24 HEALTHY MAGAZINE