Oncology

Our program is accredited by The American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. This voluntary accreditation is part of our commitment to providing a full range of medical services.

We are proud to offer the only comprehensive liver screening program in the community, and your physician may recommend our program if you have abnormal liver function tests due to medication or alcohol. Additionally, you may be a candidate for our program if you have an increased risk of developing liver cancer because of multiple factors, such as:

• Being over 60 years old
• Cirrhosis
• Consumption of well water with arsenic
• Contact with thorium dioxide
• Ethnicity
• Exposure to vinyl chloride
• History of hepatitis B or C
• Ingestion of aflatoxins
• Race
• Use of anabolic steroids

Diagnosing liver cancer

Tumors can be difficult to find during physical exams, and the signs and symptoms of liver disease or cancer usually appear later, when the condition is already advanced.

If you are at moderate or high risk of developing liver cancer, we proactively screen your liver every six months using ultrasound technology and an alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-L3. An AFP-L3 is the most sensitive test available to detect liver cancer. If abnormalities are found, we will follow up with a computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

Treatment for liver cancer

Our oncologists are equipped to use a variety of liver cancer treatments, including:

• Chemoembolization
• Chemotherapy
• Hepatic artery infusion
• Image-guided biopsy with expert pathological examination
• Irreversible electroporation (IRE)
• Liver transplant
• Microwave ablation
• Radioembolization
• Sorafenib
• Surgical resection of the liver

Your liver cancer care team

To give you the best possible outcome, we take a collaborative approach to your treatment. Our multidisciplinary care team includes:

• Gastrointestinal hepatologists
• Interventional radiologists
• Medical oncologists
• Pathologists
• Radiation oncologists
• Surgical oncologists

We also hold on-site conferences, which you can attend Monday through Friday, from 10:00am to 5:00pm. Call (915) 263-5165 to learn more.

If you experience symptoms consistent with lung cancer, we aim to help maintain and improve your health as much as possible. We are able to conduct initial diagnostic testing to assess your condition, then form a personalized treatment plan based on our findings.

Diagnosing lung cancer

For high-risk individuals, we perform a low-dose CT scan to detect lung cancer at its earliest, most treatable stage.

You are considered high-risk if you meet the following criteria:

• 30 pack-year smoking history
• 55 to 77 years old
• Asymptomatic
• Currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years

To participate in the screening process, you must obtain a low-dose lung cancer screening order form and make an appointment with your primary care doctor. During this appointment, they will explain the possible risks and benefits of the scan.

Lung cancer treatment

Like liver cancer, we can address lung cancer using a variety of treatment methods, including:

• 3D conformal radiation therapy
• Brachytherapy
• Chemotherapy
• Infusion therapy
• Intravenous (IV) antibiotics
• Sentinel lymph node biopsies
• Transfusion therapy