Walking down the main hall of the JPS Oncology and Infusion Center on Dec. 12, Dr. Bassam Ghabach made his way to the exam rooms.
He pulled the phone out of his white coat and checked the time: 8:30 a.m.
It’s time to meet the first patient of the day, said Ghabach, who currently serves as a medical oncologist and the medical director of the JPS oncology center.
Since 2016, Ghabach has been the medical director of JPS’ center for cancer care, where he oversees medical oncology, radiation oncology, survivorship clinic and palliative care.
Ghabach walked over to exam room 21 and knocked on the door twice before entering alongside the center’s bilingual interpreter, Dianna Rodriguez. He was about to meet with a Spanish-speaking patient who was diagnosed with colon cancer in late 2020. The patient has been receiving chemotherapy from the oncology center since 2021.
Immediately, Ghabach greeted the male patient with a smile and asked, “Hi, how are ya?”
Ghabach pulled up the patient’s medical record on the exam room’s computer and spent the next 10 minutes asking him questions, which Rodriguez translated, to ensure all was well with the chemotherapy.
“Have you had any problems after your last treatment?” asked Ghabach.
The patient had no complaints.
Ghabach checked blood results and listened to the patient’s heart and breathing with a stethoscope. Everything looked good. He told the patient to return in three months for the next computed tomography, CT, scan to make sure the treatment continues to work.
With no other updates, Ghabach bid the patient farewell and walked up to his office on the center’s second floor to update the file.
Once documentation of the visit was complete, Ghabach looked at his schedule and prepared for his next appointment.
Ghabach met with 16 oncology and hematology patients that day.
Two of his patients were told their cancer had spread and were in need of urgent radiation treatment. It’s not easy when you’re dealing with patients who have emotional ups and downs, he said.
“You might walk into a room and tell a patient great news,” said Ghabach. “While for the next one, you tell them bad news. It’s that emotional roller coaster all day.”
Even though the difficult moments can take a toll, Ghabach knows each patient’s case is an opportunity for improvement in cancer care.
Every Tuesday morning, Ghabach meets with JPS’ 20-person multidisciplinary head and neck tumor board to discuss difficult cases. The goal is to agree on the best evidence-based and patient-centered approach for the patient and future patients, said Ghabach.
These clinical discussions have allowed for breakthroughs in cancer treatment, he said.
“Over 20 years ago, if you walked through an oncology waiting room, you would see patients with no hair, some patients looking miserable and puking all the time,” he said. “Now, you walk into a waiting room and it’s like any other waiting room due to the new treatments we have. The treatments have become more efficient and less toxic to the patient.”
Still, oncology faces a lot of challenges. It’s common for patients to be denied treatment because of insurance problems, said Ghabach.
“We have a hard time getting insurance to approve patients’ treatment, or they want to take their time getting treatment approved, especially when there’s urgency to get it started,” he said. “It just costs us a lot of our time and delays for the patients.”
Cancer support organizations in Tarrant County:
- American Cancer Society – Fort Worth – 800-227-2345
- Cancer Care Services – 817-921-0653
- Cancer Support Community North Texas – 214-345-8230
- JPS Connection – 817-702-1001
- The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders – Fort Worth Magnolia Avenue and Fort Worth Southwest – 817-759-700
Even though oncology isn’t easy work, Ghabach is motivated by the countless patients whose lives have been impacted by the care they’ve received.
“At the end of the day, even for the patients who are not doing very well, we’re still helping them,” he said. “We’re still allowing them to keep their dignity to make sure they’re not suffering. It’s about helping them through that journey.”
David Moreno is the health reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter.
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