Our Philosophy at Salem Oncology

Medical care should be delivered with knowledge and love; alone is inadequate. A significant challenge in today’s healthcare climate is to infuse humaneness into medicine. Salem Oncology Center proudly provides medical care in a milieu of humaneness, love, and compassion. Read more about the Human Dimension.

It is only possible to deliver excellent care by spending significant time with patients and their families. Time has become an issue in the current environment of medical practice in America (managed care), as third-party payers usually do not reimburse extended doctor visits. We at Salem Oncology Center are committed to giving every patient and their family all the time needed to help them understand the treatment process and the prognosis for the disease.

Our commitment to excellence and quality care extends beyond the time spent when the patient is physically in the clinic. We invest significant time in discussing the diagnosis with pathologists, reviewing radiological findings with radiologists, and staying abreast of the most up-to-date research on the patient’s disease. While this time is not typically reimbursed by insurance, we are unwavering in our commitment. We believe that this thorough approach is the only way to ensure that the patient receives the best possible treatment for a chance at a cure.

We are committed to fighting and conquering cancer with knowledge, perseverance, and hope. We believe that hope is essential in the fight against cancer. Cancer medicine and research progress is continually being achieved, with new drugs emerging every month. We believe not only in the power of knowledge but also in the power of hope. We have taken care of patients with advanced cancer who were thought to be terminal but who were treated and eventually cured. At all times, however, we emphasize that the patient and the patient’s family will be told “the truth and the whole truth.”

Additional group consultations help ensure that the patient is receiving the most cutting-edge cancer therapy at every juncture during therapy. After treatment is planned, chemotherapy is delivered by nurses with extensive experience in cancer nursing. Medications are of the highest quality and are mixed by a specialty pharmacy with vast experience in cancer chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is carefully delivered in-house by our staff members, who know and care about you. Patients are closely monitored in the clinic, as outpatients, in private rooms.

We achieve excellence by ensuring every patient receives the best treatment possible. Treatment plans are designed only after an in-depth evaluation of the disease's diagnosis and anatomic extent. At that point, we obtain group consultations to ensure that the proposed treatment plan is the most effective. Our number one priority is the patient, not research. Patients are enrolled in research programs only when we are firmly convinced that the program is the best treatment option for that patient.

Dr. Salem abides by very rigorous standards. He begins by confirming pathology to make a definitive and unequivocal diagnosis (which may confirm or significantly modify the initial diagnosis). Pathology (examination of tissue for diagnosis) is reviewed by world-renowned pathologists at the Texas Medical Center. Also, in every instance, Dr. Salem reviews X-rays in consultation with several radiologists.

Three major steps are involved in achieving cure of a cancer patient:

1. Making a definitive and unequivocal diagnosis.
2. Correctly staging the anatomic extent of the disease.
3. Having group consultations prior to beginning therapy.

In cancer therapy, there is never only one expert; therefore, before we treat any patient, we consult with a group of experts. This ensures that the patient receives the most up-to-date and effective treatment. We do not only consult with the best specialists in the Texas Medical Center; we also consult with national and international experts. Also, we collaborate with medical experts considered the best in surgical oncology, radiation oncology, pathology, diagnostic radiology, and other cancer-related fields. Treatment is designed only after this consultation is obtained, which guarantees that the patient will receive the best possible treatment.