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Heloisa Soares, MD, PhD, is not simply an oncologist or neuroendocrine tumor expert. She is also a passionate advocate to patients and has, along with many other patient-centered activities, volunteered at the ASCO Advocacy Summit on Capitol Hill and had the opportunity to meet members of Congress to advocate for improved patient care. Learn about her advocacy work, Brazilian upbringing, and more in this edition of Talks with Docs.

COVID-19 is a new type of virus that can cause mild and severe infections in the lungs. Like other viruses, it can lead to serious infections for people with weakened immune systems. Some people with cancer might have a higher risk of getting COVID-19 or having a serious infection from it.

A $4.5 million gift from the Huntsman family will fund an expansion of a unique program at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah that brings specialty cancer care directly to patients in their homes. With this major gift, HCI’s Huntsman at Home will expand to rural Utah, including Carbon, Emery, and Grand Counties. The goal is to provide cancer care for patients who live far from HCI in Salt Lake City by partnering with patients and their caregivers, communities, and medical teams to deliver many aspects of cancer care in a patient’s own home as an alternative to hospital visits at a medical center or emergency department.

Lumpectomy is the gold standard for breast cancer surgery, says Kirstyn E. Brownson, MD, a surgical breast oncologist at Huntsman Cancer Institute. We asked Dr. Brownson to explain what a lumpectomy is and the benefits it offers.

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah presented the first outcomes evaluation of an adult oncology hospital-at-home program today at the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. The study evaluated patients participating in HCI’s Huntsman at HomeTM. The data demonstrate strong evidence for this care model, showing improved patient outcomes, including reduced hospitalizations and decreased visits to the emergency department.

On May 6, 2020, Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) CEO Mary Beckerle, PhD, gave her State of HCI address. This event is an annual tradition at HCI, where the CEO reports on progress of the past year and plans for the future. Less ordinary during this global coronavirus pandemic, however, was the format. Dr. Beckerle spoke to faculty and staff safely via live video stream.

Construction at the Senator Orrin G. Hatch Center for Proton Therapy at Huntsman Cancer Institute is well underway. On March 28, a 15-ton proton accelerator arrived and was installed at the future center. This marks a major milestone for the project slated for a December 2020 debut.

There are times surgeons have to remove part of the face, such as a nose or an ear, in order to save a life. These patients are referred to HCI anaplastologist Paul Tanner, who makes facial prostheses — hand-sculpted and hand-painted artificial parts of the face. HCI is one of the few hospitals in the country that has an anaplastologist and prosthesis lab onsite, making it easy for patients and their care team to meet with Tanner.