Blog

Kidney cancer is among the 10 most common cancers in both men and women. March is Kidney Cancer Awareness Month and Arizona Oncology, a practice in The US Oncology Network, encourages men and women to speak with their healthcare providers about the symptoms, risk factors and treatments for the disease. Also known as Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC), kidney cancer is among the 10 most common cancers in both men and women. The rate of new kidney cancers has been on the rise since the 1990s. Most likely this is due to improved technology such as CT scans which now help locate cancers that were...

At Arizona Oncology, we understand that cancer impacts every aspect of our patients’ lives, with effects that can last for a long time after initial therapy is completed. Here we answer some common questions about cancer survivorship and our survivorship program. Am I a cancer survivor? If you have been diagnosed with cancer, yes! You are considered a cancer survivor from the day of your diagnosis until the day of your death from any cause. You do not have to wait for a certain number of years, or be considered free of disease, in remission, or cured to be a cancer survivor. What are some...

When your oncologist gives you a diagnosis of cancer, there are many things that begin to happen. You may need to arrange further doctor’s appointments and tests before your treatment plan begins. You’ll be feeling a lot of emotions and your mind may bounce in different directions. One thing you may wonder is how to tell your family and friends that you have cancer. This is a personal experience for you, and you must do what feels most comfortable to you. Here are some things to consider before talking to friends and family. Who Are You Going to Tell? It’s okay to not tell everyone you know...

Cancer patients can greatly benefit from integrative (sometimes called “alternative”) therapies along with their medical treatments. Touch therapies like acupuncture, massage, manual lymphatic drainage, and reflexology can help with side effects of cancer treatment and also reduce pain and stress. It is always important to talk to your doctor about any alternative therapy before starting it, as not all alternative therapies are recommended for all patients. Here is a list of Arizona Oncology Foundation’s approved touch therapies you can discuss with your doctor. Acupuncture Acupuncture is a...

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Incidences of colorectal cancer are rising in people under age 50. That makes it even more important for adults to understand their individual risk and take steps to be screened for colorectal cancer. What is Colorectal Cancer? Colorectal cancer is cancer that develops in the large intestine (colon) or the part of the large intestine that connects to the anus (rectum). Most colorectal cancers begin as polyps—small growths in the lining of the intestine. Polyps, even noncancerous ones, can be removed during a colonoscopy, which is why we say that...

February 13th, 2014 22 Months All Clear! I'm happy to report that my 22 month post-surgery check up showed no evidence of lingering cancer cells.I'm not happy to report that the Tucson cancer "establishment" is still not telling new chemotherapy patients about the baldness-preventing cold caps that preserved my hair and my morale.  Not a single person has contacted me for information despite newspaper and TV publicity about their effectiveness with me. I recently attended a psychology conference in Anaheim with an estimated 8,000 attendees. See the attached photo for what I wore. ...

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. In fact, research shows that it is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, will result in over 53,000 fatalities in 2020, and will appear in almost 150,000 patients over that same time frame. As with many health issues, knowledge of colorectal cancer means power: the power of early detection, treatment, and in some cases even prevention. You may worry that you or a loved one are at risk for developing colorectal cancer; or you may want to better understand certain aspects of this...

Cancer treatment continues to advance, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of it with our brand-new Halcyon Linac by Varian. This state-of-the-art radiotherapy system offers faster treatment in a spacious, patient-centered design, while incorporating volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to deliver a consistent radiation dose to tumors while minimizing the dose to healthy tissue. Dr. Neil D’Souza is a radiation oncologist at our Goodyear location who has firsthand experience with this revolutionary machine. We asked him to share, in layman’s terms, exactly what makes the Halcyon Linac...

Jackie Dominguez had a very aggressive form of breast cancer, but with a multidisciplinary cancer care team who cared for her both physically and emotionally, she’s thriving with and beyond cancer. “The doctor was kind enough to not make me wait for the results. I’ll never forget that,” Jackie said. “But he also said that it wasn’t a death sentence. He just reassured me that I wasn’t going to die from this.” Jackie chose Arizona Oncology for treatment for her breast cancer. For most patients with breast cancer, surgery is the first step, and Jackie went to see Dr. Jennifer O’Neill, MD, FACS,...