The North Texas Cancer Center at Wise, located at 2010 S. Ben Merritt Drive, Suite A, will open this month to provide Wise and surrounding counties with the latest technology in cancer treatment. Cancer patients who live in this area will soon have another place to go besides Fort Worth, Denton or Wichita Falls. The center is expected to serve people in Wise, Parker, Jack, Montague and Denton Counties.

Dr. Gregory Echt leads several radiation oncology programs in north Texas including locations in Irving, Las Colinas, and now Decatur. Dr. Echt has partnered with an outstanding group of medical oncologists, Dallas Oncology Consultants, led by Edward Middleman, MD, MPH, and together they will provide radiation and medical oncology in Decatur. The radiation oncology program will be run by Dr. Echt and his associates, while working closely together with other staff members to ensure an aggressive response to the patient’s needs. The radiation oncology program offers patients intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which enhances radiation treatment planning for the patient and allowing them to deliver high doses of radiation to a tumor while minimizing the amount of radiation to normal tissues.

The medical oncology program will use medical oncologists and oncology-trained staff to offer clinical trial drug programs and the latest chemotherapy agents using chemotherapy infusion chairs. The medical oncology group will play a major role in cancer care to include management of treatment plans, therapies, and evaluating the patient’s progress.

Wise Regional Health System will be working with the Cancer Center to develop an oncology program at the hospital and implement tumor boards along with a cancer registry.

Dr. Echt has been practicing for 17 years and since the age of two he wanted to be a doctor. He was inspired by his father who was a doctor himself. Dr. Echt decided to be a radiation oncologist in medical school after he was intrigued by the physics that was involved.

Dr. Echt has been coming to Wise County for many years as a consulting staff member at Wise Regional Health System and has also provided radioactive seed implants services for patients at the Bridgeport Surgery Center. Dr. Echt decided to open the Cancer Center in Decatur because this area was underserved. The community agrees with Dr. Echt. In one weekend, Wise Regional Health System obtained 5,000 signatures showing community support for a cancer center. We are grateful to have North Texas Cancer Center at Wise to be providing patient care for our community.

To learn more about Dr. Echt, please visit his website at www.prostateseedinstitute.com

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