is the goal at Texas Oncology - Amarillo. We will always exercise the utmost compassion and empathy, putting above all else your emotional comfort and physical well being.

Cancer isn't a battle - it's a disease. You are not a winner or loser - you're a person. Cancer is a disease with proven treatment options. The doctors, nurses and staff at Texas Oncology - Amarillo have the tools and the training to treat your cancer while caring for you, so you can concentrate on LIVING!

• Your consultation with Dr. Gwozdz, will be long enough to provide you all the information you want to know about your disease.
• If you're ever not sure about something or forgot what was said at an appointment, Shelley Hickmott, your radiation oncology nurse is available to help you.

utilizing state of the art equipment, technology and the greatest degree of medical expertise. Due to Dr. Gwozdz's extensive training and experience he is able to create a unique radiation treatment plan for your specific body and cancer. This plan will be carefully designed to kill your cancer cells while sparing most of your normal healthy tissue, which results in far fewer side effects and a greater chance of cure.

Dr. Gwozdz's expertly designed plan will enable your body to naturally eliminate the dead cancer cells, while repairing any normal tissue which was damaged.

The Department of Radiation Oncology at Texas Oncology - Amarillo uses a PET/CT Simulator to help design a treatment plan for your unique body. A PET/CT simulation is the most accurate process available to localize, define and reconstruct your tumor's location and activity allowing Dr. Gwozdz to precisely pinpoint the radiation to only where it's needed. It also enables the Radiation Therapist to map the resulting treatment coordinates with a high degree of accuracy, assuring that you will be treated in the exact location that Dr. John Gwozdz prescribes.

Once Dr. Gwozdz is done creating your unique treatment plan your daily radiation treatment will begin. At Texas Oncology - Amarillo your tumor will be treated with the most precise and powerful cancer treatment technology currently available anywhere. This increased accuracy and power means you will have faster treatments, greater comfort, fewer side effects and the potential for better outcomes.

The Trilogy™ System is designed to compensate for any movements you might make during treatment, as well as normal breathing motion. This means you can continue to breathe naturally, reducing your stress and increasing your comfort.

Most of Dr. Gwozdz's radiation therapy patients are not hospitalized during radiation treatment. Most patients continue to do all or most of their usual activities including work and/or hobbies during their radiation treatment.

One of the most difficult aspects of radiation treatment is that it does require 15 to 30 minutes every Monday through Friday for anywhere from 2 to 9 weeks depending upon your specific disease. Radiation is designed to be given every day, five days a week, with a "break" of two consecutive day - basically, over the weekend. The body uses the weekend to eliminate the dead cancer cells and rejuvenate your normal tissue.

This cycle of five consecutive days of treatment followed by two days of recovery is the standard of care for radiation treatment. Radiation is designed to slowly build up to the necessary doses of radiation to kill your cancer cells. If you take a longer break in the middle of treatment the radiation dose may never build to the desired levels, which will likely lead to ineffective results.