Tonight is the big “Stand up to Cancer” event right here on KXII. During the one-hour special on KXII-TV, folks across the nation will be given the chance to donate the American Cancer Society. KXII is proud to show you how that money will help patients right here in Texoma.

For the last two decades, the Texas Oncology Center in Sherman/Denison has been saving lives and searching for cures.

With more than 200 different forms of cancer today, oncologists are constantly on their toes looking for ways to treat and prevent this deadly disease that claims thousands each year. The good news is it’s working.

Dr. Alex Ehsan, Medical Oncologist, Texas Oncology-Sherman says, “In the past, if you were diagnosed with cancer, most people though this is it I won't be here anymore. Now we know if you have cancer, you can come to us, we can treat you. The percentage overall has increased. People live a lot longer with cancer than they did before.”

Dr. Ehsan is one of the newest members on board at the oncology center. He says the newest technology when it comes to fighting cancer is targeted therapy. “I believe it's been the mainstream of the changes to come. Additionally, being able to follow closely with your doctors and having imaging studies that are done each year more proficiently will be able to change the timetable of the cancer.”

Targeted therapy is quite simple and the most effective. Once chemotherapy and radiation are ruled out, doctors pinpoint the specific location of the cancer in the tumor and are able to stop it from growing. Of course this isn’t for everyone. When dealing with cancer some treatments work on some, while others don’t. “Overall people live longer. Definitely working on cures, a lot of them have not been accomplished so far because truly its not one cancer we're dealing with.”

Dr. Tammy Roque, Medical Oncologist,Texas Oncology-Sherman says, “It is rewarding to know that we have ways of diagnosing someone before they develop cancer. We're doing more research looking for proteins and other things to help diagnose before a patient develops cancer."

While there is no cure, researchers and scientist are well on their way. In fact, the survival rate of cancer is at it’s highest, partly in due to specialist like Dr. Roque and Dr. Ehsan who go out of their way to make sure those fighting cancer are fighting a good fight. But to do that, it takes money for research and money to fund a place like the oncology center.