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Cancerwise Blog
Our blog features cancer research, treatment strategies and patient stories.
Rare stage 4 sarcoma survivor: ‘Thanks to UT MD Anderson, I’m already beating the odds’
In May 2014, I was a fresh college graduate in New York City who was excited to begin my life as a professional ballerina.
A few weeks later, I was in the hospital with a broken sacrum and a traumatic brain injury, due to a terrible car accident.
Once I recovered, it was clear that I couldn’t dance professionally. So, I did a career pivot and applied to medical school, which had always interested me. About halfway through it, I developed severe preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that causes dangerously high blood pressure. I ended up needing an urgent C-section at 37 weeks, followed by an immediate hysterectomy to stop a massive hemorrhage and save my life.
After those two experiences, I really thought I’d reached my quota for brushes with death. Then, just a week after graduating from medical school last May, I was diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer. And, it was stage 4.
My desmoplastic small round cell tumor symptoms
Looking back now, I can see some symptoms. I’d been experiencing abdominal pain for a couple of months. I have Crohn’s disease, though, so I thought it was just a flare-up, or maybe I’d pulled a muscle carrying my toddler around. But I’d also lost about 20 pounds without really trying. I felt full easily and got nauseous frequently, too. I chalked all that up to jitters about starting residency.
Unfortunately, the pain in my left side kept getting worse. It was so bad during a visit to New Mexico that I finally went to an emergency room. A CT scan revealed a large tumor in my abdomen. It was compressing the descending colon, which explained why I’d been having such trouble using the bathroom. Most of the pain I’d been experiencing was because hardly anything could pass through it.
How I got to UT MD Anderson
The ER doctors believed the growth was caused by cancer. They just weren’t sure what kind. They suspected it was either lymphoma or sarcoma and performed a biopsy to learn more. When the results came back, they told me to head straight to UT MD Anderson.
The doctors in New Mexico said the cancer cells looked so strange under a microscope that they couldn’t even identify the exact type. But it had lots of mutations, was dividing rapidly and had already outgrown its blood supply. All of those features suggested it was highly aggressive — and I needed an expert, fast.
I’m no oncologist, but I had enough medical training by then to recognize that this was very bad. The cancer was already scattered throughout my abdomen. All the medical literature I’d read indicated that once a cancer has spread in this way — regardless of what type it is — your prognosis is extremely poor.
I was stunned. My son was only 17 months old at the time. I was only 32 and still breastfeeding him. My biggest fear was that he wouldn’t remember me.
My desmoplastic small round cell tumor diagnosis
I returned home to Houston immediately. I was admitted to UT MD Anderson within a week because I arrived there in such bad shape.
I met first with Dr. Elise Nassif Haddad, a sarcoma specialist who said she thought I had sarcoma, too. I’d need some additional testing to determine exactly which kind, but my condition was serious enough that we couldn’t wait around for the details. I had to begin treatment right away.
Dr. Haddad started me on a chemotherapy regimen within days. A few weeks later, she gave me my official diagnosis. I had an exceptionally rare cancer called desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT). It’s a form of soft tissue sarcoma usually found in children. It’s so rare that fewer than 1,000 cases of it have ever even been documented. My chances of having it were about one in a billion.
My desmoplastic small round cell tumor treatment
Unfortunately, my chances of surviving this disease were not much better. Because of how many spots of cancer were already scattered around my belly, I didn’t think I was eligible for surgery. And, while I knew that chemotherapy might prolong my life, I didn’t think I would ever be cured. As it turns out, I was wrong — on both counts.
The chemotherapy regimen I’d begun turned out to be just right for treating DSRCT. So, I stayed on it and finished all six rounds Dr. Haddad recommended. Then, I met with Dr. Chris Scally, a surgical oncologist who specializes in treating sarcoma. He said I was actually a good candidate for surgery, based on my response to chemotherapy.
Dr. Scally believed he could successfully remove all the remaining cancer. I didn’t think that was even possible. But he seemed so confident that I scheduled the surgery last October. Dr. Scally got all the cancer out in just four hours.
Looking ahead with hope
My doctors at UT MD Anderson have been very clear about my prognosis. DSRCT is still a bad disease, and my chances of recurrence are quite high.
But I’ve shown no evidence of disease since my surgery last fall, which is something I never thought I’d be able to say. My doctors are both guardedly optimistic, and I’m on maintenance chemotherapy now and doing really well. I also live right next to the world’s greatest cancer center, and I get checkups every month.
Medical literature indicates that only a handful of people have lived longer than five years after receiving this diagnosis. Most people with this disease see a recurrence within 9 to 14 months of attaining remission, and I’m already at month 5. So, I don’t know if it’s realistic to hope that I can watch my son start the first grade or not.
Still, I want to see how far I can go. Things have already gone as well as they possibly could. And, thanks to UT MD Anderson, I’m already beating the odds. I am incredibly grateful.
Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.
Stage 4 kidney cancer survivor thankful he chose UT MD Anderson
Roberto Gonzalez was diagnosed with stage 2 renal cell carcinoma in September 2020. He had a radical nephrectomy to remove his left kidney. For the next few years, scans showed no evidence of disease.
Then, in early 2025, Roberto went to the emergency room for chest pains. A CT scan showed suspicious findings. A second CT scan revealed tumors in the lymph nodes near his chest and left lung. Then he had a biopsy.
“The doctor who did the biopsy called me and told me I had stage 4 kidney cancer, and there was no cure,” recalls Roberto, who was 58 at the time. “Since my regular oncologist was on vacation, I didn’t have a plan for treatment or any answers to my questions.”
That prompted Roberto to get a second opinion at UT MD Anderson.
UT MD Anderson leaves lasting first impression
Roberto’s first appointment was on March 18 with genitourinary medical oncologist Sangeeta Goswami, M.D., Ph.D. She explained his metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma diagnosis and discussed a treatment plan.
“She used markers and drew out how the cancer starts and where it goes when it spreads,” he says. “She illustrated it in a way that was easy to understand.”
Roberto also had an appointment with his regular oncologist later that day. But he still didn’t have a definitive treatment plan for Roberto yet, and his next appointment wouldn’t be for another two months. Roberto decided to stick with UT MD Anderson.
“Just from being in the parking lot at UT MD Anderson, I told my wife that everything seems very different here,” he recalls. “Everything was so organized. We walked in, and they had greeters to help you so you don’t get lost. They're amazing. It's a world of difference.”
Combination treatment for metastatic kidney cancer
Roberto started treatment on April 1. It’s a combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
He takes the tyrosine kinase inhibitor axitinib twice daily in pill form and gets infusions of immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab every three weeks at UT MD Anderson. The drive isn’t too bad since he lives just north of Houston, in Humble.
The treatment has helped to shrink the tumors significantly. The plan is for him to continue the therapy.
Help managing cancer treatment side effects
He’s had some side effects like joint and back pain, tendonitis and inflammation in his gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes, he’ll have nausea, which interrupts his sleep.
Roberto visited UT MD Anderson’s Supportive Care Center and Pain Medicine to help manage his side effects. Doctors prescribed him medicine to help with nausea as well as a low dose of morphine to help with pain and allow him to sleep through the night.
Recently, Goswami shortened the frequency of the axitinib doses to ease the side effects. Roberto also gets steroid injections for joint pain.
“The side effects are just a trade-off for treatment,” he says. “I can take the pain as long as it’s shrinking the tumors.”
Enjoying life’s blessings
Roberto is a positive person who enjoys staying active and spending time with his wife and kids. He likes to travel, fish and go camping. He hasn’t let cancer stop him from living his life.
“I have a beautiful life. I’ve had my hardships, but I’ve also had a tremendous number of blessings,” says Roberto, who is thrilled about the recent birth of his first grandchild. “I don’t let the cancer diagnosis weigh on me. I know there’s a lot more for me to do in life.”
This included attending the James P. Allison Institute™ 3rd Annual Scientific Symposium on Oct. 24, 2025.
“The symposium was very informative, and I was amazed by the presentations,” he says.
It really reinforced that UT MD Anderson isn’t only the best place to get cancer care; it’s also leading the way in finding new treatments through the Allison Institute™.
Goswami is a member of the Allison Institute™ and is focused on understanding why some patients respond to immunotherapy while others do not. Her goal is to improve treatments for all patients.
“Technology and modern medicine have come a long way, and there's science behind it,” he says. “I liked how the speakers explained how immunotherapy was discovered and what they're doing in the lab to research it. It related to what I'm going through in my own cancer treatment.”
Roberto trusts that his care team will continue providing him with the best treatment.
“Dr. Goswami has been taking great care of me,” he says. “I trust UT MD Anderson completely. They know what they’re doing.”
Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.
Young adult cancer survivor trusts UT MD Anderson to treat rare ovarian tumor
Caitlin Koehler was just 27 years old when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
After a year of severe abdominal pain, visits to different doctors and specialists, diet changes, a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, it was a CT scan that revealed an 11 cm mass on her right ovary. The mass had also attached to her abdominal wall, peritoneum and sigmoid colon.
Caitlin underwent a right salpingo-oophorectomy to remove her right ovary and fallopian tube. The tissue from the mass was biopsied, and her gynecologist shared the results at her follow-up appointment. Caitlin was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma arising in a teratoma, an extremely rare type of ovarian cancer. It was stage 2B.
“My doctor wanted to refer me to a cancer care provider in Texas, but they had missed my dad’s cancer in 2018,” says Caitlin, who lives in New Braunfels. “And once they slapped the word ‘rare’ on the end of my diagnosis, I knew I wanted to go to UT MD Anderson.”
Caitlin’s dad called that day to make an appointment.
UT MD Anderson develops plan to treat rare, aggressive cancer
Caitlin met gynecologic oncologist Roni Wilke, M.D., on Jan. 3, 2024. She explained that the pathology from her surgery would undergo expert review by pathologists at UT MD Anderson, and she’d have imaging to see if the cancer had spread. That imaging showed a postoperative complication from her prior surgery.
That week, the Interventional Radiology team placed a surgical drain to collect fluid that had collected after Caitlin’s surgery. Shortly after that, a multidisciplinary team of experts met to review Caitlin’s diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.
She started with the chemotherapy drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel and targeted therapy bevacizumab administered intravenously every three weeks.
Molecular testing of the tumor revealed high expression of the PD-L1 protein, so on her third chemotherapy cycle, Wilke added immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab.
She completed a total of six cycles of chemotherapy.
“I’d spend six hours at UT MD Anderson getting infusions,” Caitlin recalls. “My mom would be there with me. I’d crack a lot of jokes, just trying to make the best of it.”
Caitlin took the anti-nausea medication her doctors recommended, so she didn’t experience much nausea during treatment. She temporarily lost her sense of taste and smell, but it came back once she completed chemotherapy.
In June 2024, she continued taking bevacizumab and pembrolizumab as maintenance therapy.
“I was really satisfied with my care team and the information I was getting from them,” she says. “They would say, ‘This is a unique situation. But we have a plan.’”
Surgery successfully treats ovarian cancer recurrence
In February 2025, a routine scan found a new growth in Caitlin’s right abdomen and a growth along a small portion of her small bowel.
Again, a multidisciplinary team of experts reviewed her case and recommended surgery to treat the cancer recurrence.
On April 24, 2025, Wilke performed a debulking surgery to remove the new growth as well as a small portion of Caitilin’s small intestine and omentum – the layer of fatty tissue in her abdominal cavity. She was able to preserve her uterus and left ovary. General surgeon Celia Ledet, M.D., repaired Caitlin’s abdominal wall using a mesh flap.
Caitlin remains on maintenance therapy. All her scans since the second surgery have been clear and shown no evidence of disease.
Coping with cancer-related fertility challenges
Facing a rare cancer diagnosis as a young adult wasn’t easy for Caitlin; there were a lot of unknowns.
“The fertility challenge was a lot harder for me than the actual cancer diagnosis because I thought, ‘OK, I can take cancer.’ But tacking on possible infertility as a result of treatment was tough,” she recalls.
Caitlin met with oncofertility specialist Terri Woodard, M.D., before starting treatment to discuss her options for fertility preservation. But, she ultimately opted not to move forward with preservation so as not to delay treatment since the cancer was so aggressive.
“I've spent a lot of time reflecting the last couple of years, and I've looked at other options if I can’t conceive naturally,” she says. “I could ask my siblings if they want to help, and my best friend said she’ll help with whatever I need. I just look at it like another bridge to cross when I get to that point. But it’s nice to know I have their support.”
Managing emotions during treatment
With her parents’ support, the right mindset and available resources, Caitlin learned how to manage the range of emotions that came with her cancer diagnosis.
“After my first surgery, I had to pick whether I was going to live in that immense feeling of pity and sorrow for myself, or if I was going to go fight to live. And I chose to fight,” she says.
Caitlin stayed with her parents after both of her surgeries. Her dad, also a cancer survivor, told her that a lot of times, people just don’t know what to say to someone with cancer.
“I heard a lot of, ‘I’m here if you need anything,’ and ‘I’m so sorry,’” she says. “I would always say, ‘There’s nothing to be sorry about. No one can control what happened.’ And of course, you're going to lose some people through the process, but the ones who stick around are the ones who truly matter.”
Once Caitlin completed chemo, she began seeing a therapist to help sort out her feelings about not knowing what’s next. It’s been beneficial.
“I am a lot less likely to worry these days,” she says. “I just take what comes.”
Thankful for UT MD Anderson
Since Caitlin travels from New Braunfels for her infusions and follow-up appointments, it’s more convenient for her to go to UT MD Anderson West Houston.
“I asked Dr. Wilke to move any appointments that we can, and it’s definitely been easier because I don’t have to go through so much traffic,” she says. “It is so convenient, fast and easy. And I love the staff at UT MD Anderson West Houston.”
Caitlin also praises Wilke and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Crystal Teague for touching base, keeping her informed and reassuring her throughout the process.
“Every time I talked to Crystal or Dr. Wilke, they reassured me that things were looking good. That's all I could ask for,” she says. “They always responded to my questions. And if they didn't have an answer, they would tell me, ‘Caitlin, we know as much as you know right now.’ And that made me feel better.”
Caitlin continues to take maintenance therapy, though she may be able to stop soon. Either way, she’s happy her scans remain clear with no sign of cancer.
“A lot of emotions come with a cancer diagnosis. It's OK to sit with them, but it's not OK to stay,” she says. “Attitude is important, so I keep a positive outlook. Even on my worst days, I put a smile on and tell myself to keep going. I'm still going.”
Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.