More than 1.4 million new cases of cancer are estimated to be diagnosed this year, and 96,000 of those are expected in Texas. With leading-edge treatment options available close to home through Texas Oncology, Texans are benefiting from more breakthroughs in cancer care, leading to greater treatment success.
State Statistics
- Almost 35,000 Texans will die of cancer this year, second only to heart disease, the leading cause of death.
- Among Texans under 65, cancer is the leading cause of death
- 75 percent of new cancer cases in Texas will be residents 55 or older.
- In men, prostate cancer is the leading cancer threat.
- Breast cancer is the greatest cancer incidence risk for women. Texas ranks third in the nation for the most new cases and fourth in number of deaths due to breast cancer.
- Every four hours, a Texas woman dies due to breast cancer, yet 48 percent of women age 50 or older have not had a mammogram in the past year.
- Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in Texas for men and women and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
- Colon cancer ranks third in expected incidences and deaths for Texas men and women in 2008.
Successful cancer treatment is dependent on early screening and quality of care. Having access to evidence-based treatment services and selecting the right option for the individual patient is essential.
Tips for Selecting a Treatment Provider
Most adults will share the treatment decision with a partner or spouse, but parents, friends, and children are other key influences. Following are several tips to consider when selecting the best treatment option:
- Obtain multiple references from a primary care physician, allowing patients to research and find the physician with whom they feel most comfortable.
- Consider the level of treatment available: Will the patient have access to the latest tested treatments, as well as the most innovative techniques through clinical trials?
- Location and ease of access: Will treatment be available close to home, and can all activities be completed in one complex, or will the patient have to travel to multiple locations?
- Quality of nurses and staff: Will care be intimate and personalized or cold and institutionalized?
- Consider whether the physician and treatment center are covered by the patient’s insurance plan.
Networks like Texas Oncology ensure that cancer patients obtain high quality treatment from leading physicians right in the comfort of their own communities. Our mission is to provide quality cancer care close to home, making treatment selection easier for patients by providing leading-edge cancer treatment in previously underserved communities.
Sources: American Cancer Society, Texas Cancer Council, and Texas Cancer Registry.
Updated 03/26/08