Clinic Information
Services Offered at Highlands Oncology
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When it comes to the ongoing war against cancer and blood diseases, there’s probably no other entity in Northwest Arkansas that’s waging a more direct, powerful, full-range offensive against these killers than Highlands Oncology Group.
Highlands, which was formed in 1996 and now has clinics in Fayetteville, and Bentonville, has made its mission to provide comprehensive cancer care using the latest, most advanced technologies and research available. This departmentalized approach has spawned the creation of a cancer research team, and the Center for Chest Care which is a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. Patient education, patient support groups and research through clinical trials are also important services offered at Highlands Oncology Group.
Heading up this diverse operation is the Group’s team of board-certified medical oncologists, which boasts more than 60 years combined experience. The staff includes J. Thaddeus Beck, M.D., F.A.C.P., Daniel S. Bradford, M.D., Hershey H. Garner, J.D.,M.D., Malcolm L. Hayward, M.D., Gregory J. Oakhill, M.D., Stephan B. Rosenfeld, M.D., Joseph G. Ross, M.D., Eric S. Schaefer, M.D., Arnold B. Smith, M.D. and Patrick M. Travis, M.D. Dr.'s Beck, Bradford, and Hayward were the founding physicians of the Group in 1996.
In regards to its commitment to utilizing the most advanced medical equipment available, Highlands Oncology Group is the first private medical oncology practice in the United States to provide clinical Positron Emission Tomography (PET). This device’s unique ability to image metabolic activity makes it an effective non-invasive tool for detecting, staging and assessing neoplastic, cardiac and neurological diseases. This type of diagnostic imaging is normally found in a hospital setting, but the physicians felt like it made sense to provide it in the clinic setting for patient convenience.
Highlands Oncology Group also has its own state-of-the-art laboratories, x-ray rooms, and chemotherapy infusion suites which feature several comfortable recliners to make the experience less stressful for patients during the administration of chemotherapy treatments. And don’t overlook the Group’s caring and professional staff. It’s the sum of all these staff members, departments and high-tech equipment working together that provides a positive, supportive environment for cancer patients and their families. It’s also an environment loved and appreciated by those who work at Highlands Oncology Group. |
| Services Offered at Highlands Oncology |
 Highlands Oncology Group offers comprehensive medical oncology evaluation and treatment for a wide variety of human cancers, including breast, lung, colon and rectum, prostate, pancreas, esophagus, stomach, kidney, bladder, ovaries, uterus, cervix, brain, and testes.
We also provide evaluation and treatment for a wide variety of malignant and non-malignant hematologic disorders, including non-hodgkins lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, myeloproliferative disorders, myelodysplastic syndromes, multiple myeloma, leukemias, anemias and clotting disorders.
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Outpatient Chemotherapy
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Outpatient Chemotherapy, IV fluids and IV antibiotics are administered in our clinics, and growth factors (eg. neupogen, leukine, and procrit) as well as cytokines and immune modulators (eg. interferon and interleukin) are routinely administered by our very experienced staff members.
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Laboratory
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Within our clinics is a full service, CLIA-certified medical laboratory. Lab results are often available for patients within minutes, and our laboratory team takes great pride in the outstanding reviews it consistently receives from patients and family members.
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X-rays
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X-Rays are conveniently available at each our clinics. Certified x-ray technicians stand ready to perform everything from chest to full myeloma series x-rays. Most x-rays can be shot, developed and read within minutes.
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Positron Emission Tomography
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A Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scanner is located at our Fayetteville location. PET is an imaging test to gain important and unique information about the functions of organs and cells within your body. The PET scanner can assist in accurate diagnosis and analysis of cancerous growths by providing images with detail not available from other imaging sources (eg, CT or MRI Scans). Your physician uses this information to help diagnose and manage your disease.
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| The Center for Chest Care |
The Center for Chest Care – a multidisciplinary thoracic oncology clinic
Each week a multidisciplinary group of physicians specializing in lung cancer and other related diseases of the chest hold a clinic together. This multidisciplinary group consists of a chest surgeon, a diagnostic radiologist, a medical oncologist, a pathologist, a pulmonologist, and a radiation oncologist. This team approach was developed in order to make the diagnosis and the treatment of lung cancer an easier process for the people of Northwest Arkansas and the surrounding area. The clinic accelerates diagnosis and treatment by providing access to the expertise of all our doctors at one time, in one or two visits. Access to the most current national research protocols is also available through the clinic.
For more information call (479) 751 – 8765 or e-mail
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Supported by physicians from:
Cardiovascular Surgical Clinic of Northwest Arkansas, P.A.
Fayetteville Diagnostic Clinic, LTD Pulmonary Medicine
Highlands Oncology Group, P.A.
Northwest Arkansas Pathology Associates, P.A.
Northwest Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute
Radiology Consultants of Northwest Arkansas
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Clinical Trials
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Clinical Trials are available for many of our patients. These trials may allow patients to receive new and innovative treatments for their cancer. Highlands Oncology is involved in several trials, and patients are often asked if they would like to participate. Please ask for information on clinical trials in which our clinics are currently participating.
Search the Clinical Trials database here: How Can I Find Specific Clinical Trials?
For more information you may contact Kim Davison, Highlands Oncology Clinical Trials Coordinator at
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. You may also choose to visit one of the following cancer trials web sites: http://www.swog.org/
http://www.centerwatch.com/
http://www.cancernet.nci.nih.gov/.
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Radiation Therapy
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About radiation therapy: Cancer treatment may vary depending upon the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, and the goal of treatment. Often, one or more treatment modalities may be used in order to provide the most complete treatment for the patient. Increasingly, it is common to use several treatment modalities concurrently (together) or in sequence and is referred to as multi-modality treatment. The modality may include surgery, chemotherapy, bilogical therapy, and/or radiation therapy. For the majority of newly diagnosed cancer patients, the optimal treatment may be a multi-modality approach composed of standard therapies that have been established through extensive medical research. For other patients, the most appropriate therapy may still be under investigation and may be available only through a clinical trial.
Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA in the cancer cell, thereby disabling the cancer cells from reproducing and growing. The cancer cells then die and the cancer shrinks. The objective of radiation therapy is to kill enough cancer cells to maximize the probability of cure and minimize the side effects. Under some circumstances, radiaiton therapy may also be used as pallaition, or palliative care, which is aimed at reducing symptoms but not curing the disease. Radiaiton is usually administered in the form of high-energy beams that deposit the radiation dose in the body where cancer cells are located. Radiation therapy, unlike chemotherapy, is considered a local treatment. This means that cancer cells are only killed at the location in the body where the radiation is delivered, called the radiation field. If cancer exists outside the radiation field, those cancer cells are not destroyed by the radiation.
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