Total neoadjuvant therapy: A new era for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer
When rectal cancer advances to involve nearby lymph nodes but hasn’t spread to other areas of the body, it’s considered to be locally advanced.
The traditional standard of care has been a three-part regimen consisting of chemoradiation followed by surgery and chemotherapy once again.
“The old approach has been turned on its head based on recent data,” says Josh Smith, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Colon and Rectal Surgery....
Radiation therapist has a gift for putting patients at ease
Not everyone enters health care because of a lifelong dream — sometimes, it’s a gentle nudge that sets them on this path. And for...
When a breast cancer oncologist becomes a breast cancer patient
Jennifer Litton, M.D., knows more than most about breast cancer. As a breast medical oncologist and UT MD Anderson’s chief clinical research...
Do all patients receiving radiation to the head or neck need a feeding tube?
Historically, most head and neck cancer patients who needed radiation therapy have had a feeding tube installed as a matter of course.
“The thinking was, ‘Well, you’re not going to be able to swallow anyway, so let’s just go ahead and put in a feeding tube so you don’t have to,’” explains Clifton Fuller, M.D., a radiation oncologist who specializes in the treatment of head and neck cancers.
That mindset...
Top 4 MD Anderson abstracts at ASTRO 2025
At this year’s American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, MD Anderson experts will showcase their pacesetting research...
IV vitamin therapy: Is it safe to use during chemo?
Sometimes, patients ask me about IV vitamin therapy after reading testimonials online from people who claim it has helped them feel better...
15-year stage IV melanoma survivor: ‘This is the best I’ve felt in years’
Sometimes, when people receive a cancer diagnosis, they start going from one doctor to the next, hoping to hear better news.
Teen’s ‘powered by people’ presentation highlights mother’s experience at MD Anderson
Ivan Espinoza has aspired to be a physical therapist since middle school, when he created his own bodybuilding program to better manage his...
Interstitial cystitis symptoms and bladder cancer: Is there a connection?
Interstitial cystitis is a chronic inflammatory condition in which the lining of the bladder becomes irritated for no obvious reason and stays...
Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for prostate cancer: What to know
If you have received a prostate cancer diagnosis, you may be wondering which treatment options are available to you. Prostate cancer treatment...