West Cancer Center & Research Institute

12/11/2025

🎶 A Special Visit at Our Wolf River Campus! 🎶

Yesterday, our lobby was filled with holiday cheer as local musician, John Paul (JP) Penn, stopped by to share his incredible talent with our patients, caregivers, and staff.

JP played a wonderful mix of songs—including festive holiday tunes that perfectly complemented our beautifully decorated lobby. It was a joyful moment of music, comfort, and community during a busy season.

A heartfelt thank you to JP Penn for taking the time to brighten our day and share his gift with the West Cancer Center family. ❤️

12/11/2025

Our Corinth Clinic received a beautifully decorated Christmas tree for their lobby, generously donated by Legacy Hospice.

We appreciate their kindness in helping us spread holiday cheer!✨

12/09/2025

We’re delighted to share this year’s beautifully decorated holiday tree at our Germantown Campus. Each ornament reflects the hope, comfort, and community we strive to offer all year long.

Crystal, whose own cancer journey inspired her to spread comfort to other patients, teamed up with her friend, Rechilda, to lovingly bring this year’s tree to life.

A special thank you to Grounded by Faith Ministries and Envolve for donating the tree and ornaments.

West patients and family members are invited to take an ornament home as a small reminder of hope and support during this time of year.

12/08/2025

🌟 Preview with Dr. Gregory Vidal 🌟

As we look ahead to the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, our very own Dr. Gregory Vidal shares the key studies and sessions he’s most excited about!

From breakthroughs in HER2-positive, ER-positive, and triple-negative to new insights in , endocrine therapy, , and patient-reported outcomes, Dr. Vidal highlights how this year’s data builds on the momentum from and — offering a clearer view of where breast cancer research is heading in 2025.

🎥 Watch his full preview here:
https://www.docwirenews.com/post/sabcs-2025-dr-gregory-vidal-previews-key-research-highlights

At West, we are proud to have leaders like Dr. Vidal helping advance the future of breast cancer care — both in our clinic and on the global research stage.

Preview key SABCS 2025 studies as Dr. Gregory Vidal highlights the updates he’s most excited to see.

12/08/2025

Dr. Grant Muller, our newest ENT Surgeon, talks -associated head & neck cancers:

HPV-associated head and neck cancers are rapidly increasing across the country. These cancers often start in the tonsils or the base of the tongue and are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). They tend to affect younger, otherwise healthy adults — and because they usually don’t cause early symptoms, many patients aren’t diagnosed until the cancer is more advanced.

In this video, Dr. Muller explains why Trans-Oral (TORS) is transforming the way we treat these cancers.

🔹 Why TORS?
TORS allows surgeons to precisely remove the tumor through the mouth using robotic technology, giving us a clear and accurate stage of the cancer. With this level of precision, we can avoid the “guessing game” that sometimes comes with planning treatment based solely on imaging for chemotherapy or radiation.

🔹 Fewer long-term side effects:
For many younger patients, TORS can significantly reduce — and in some cases, completely eliminate — the need for radiation or chemotherapy after surgery. This helps patients avoid the long-term side effects that can impact swallowing, speech, saliva production, and overall quality of life.

We aim to maintain the strong survival outcomes associated with HPV-related cancers while reducing treatment-related morbidity whenever possible. We’re grateful to have Dr. Muller join our ENT team and to offer cutting-edge approaches like TORS to our community.

12/01/2025

We’re proud to share Lifesigns’ recent feature in Memphis Health+Fitness Magazine, highlighting their Executive Wellness Program led by Dr. Leah Tonkin.

This in-depth program offers advanced imaging, extensive labs, and personalized lifestyle guidance — supporting the same mission we share here at West: early detection, prevention, and empowering patients to take charge of their health.

A proactive approach today can change tomorrow. ❤️

✨ Invest in Your Health ✨

Memphis Health+Fitness Magazine featured Dr. Leah Tonkin and our Executive Wellness Program, which is a deep-dive health assessment with advanced imaging, extensive labs, and a personalized plan built around lifestyle medicine.

This is early detection & prevention at a whole new level. 💪

Click here to view the full article: https://issuu.com/amygoode/docs/memphis_health_fitness_magazine_december_2025/33

12/01/2025

✨ A story worth sharing ✨

The Daily Memphian recently highlighted a touching story about one of our own: a mother, a daughter, and a pink shawl that symbolizes love, loss, and the incredible compassion of our Good Yarning volunteers.

What began as an unfinished knitting project became a beautiful reminder of how deeply kindness runs through our network. Our volunteer knitters stepped in to complete a shawl that Kate Hiatt began for her daughter, Lisa Hiatt-Todd — creating something far more meaningful than yarn and stitches.

Thank you to The Daily Memphian for shining a light on the quiet, powerful acts of love happening every day at West Cancer Center.

💗 Read this heartfelt story below:

At West Cancer Center, a knitting group finishes the projects of those who have died. Here’s the story of one of those projects. It’s a reminder of the good in the world.

11/28/2025

We are so grateful for Pastor Pamela T. Williams and Evangelist Carolyn Triplett with Impart Ministries for their generous donation to our patients. They gifted 700 snack items including chips, popcorn, juices, crackers, cookies, breakfast bars, along with 27 warm blankets. Their support means so much to us, and we truly appreciate their giving hearts.

11/27/2025

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Today we are grateful for our patients, their families, and the remarkable associates who show up each day with heart and dedication.

We appreciate each of you and hope you have a joyful holiday!

As a reminder, our clinics are closed today and tomorrow. If you need to speak with a provider, please call our after-hours number at 901.683.0055.

11/26/2025

As a reminder, our network will be closed this Thursday and Friday in observation of the Thanksgiving holiday.

If you need assistance, please call 901.683.0055 to speak with a team member.

11/25/2025

Thank you to Dr. Michael Berry and The American Society of Breast Surgeons for advocating in favor of breast cancer care in Washington, D.C.! 👏

🎗️ Standing Up for Better Breast Cancer Care in Washington 🎗️

Dr. Michael Berry, along with The American Society of Breast Surgeons, recently visited Capitol Hill to talk with lawmakers about important issues that affect patients and their doctors.

➡️ Insurance Coverage for Follow-Up Imaging
If your shows something abnormal, you often need more tests. We’re working to make sure insurance companies cover these follow-up scans, so patients don’t face delays or extra costs.

➡️ Upcoming Changes That Could Affect Care
Starting in January 2026, a new rule will cut payments for certain procedures by 2.5% every three years forever. This could make it even harder for specialists to provide care. Many lawmakers didn’t know about this, so we’re making sure they understand the impact.

➡️ Dr. Berry and the team also met with Senator Marsha Blackburn’s office and representatives from South Dakota and Louisiana to push for solutions that protect patients and keep care accessible.

Lf to Rt: Ashlea Semmens, MD; Vera Hendrix-Tuggle, MD; Senator David Kustoff; and Michael Berry, MD

11/24/2025

When head and neck cancer is surgically removed, it often leaves a space or “defect” behind. For more advanced cancers, this opening can’t simply be closed on its own — and that’s where microvascular reconstruction comes in.

In this video, ENT surgeon Dr. Grant Muller explains how this technique helps patients heal, function, and look like themselves again.

🔹 What Is Microvascular Reconstruction? 🔹
Using this advanced approach, surgeons take healthy tissue from another part of your body and use it to rebuild what was removed — whether that’s lining inside your mouth, a new portion of jawbone, or skin for the neck.
This allows patients to regain essential functions like speaking, swallowing, and chewing.

🔹 Support After Surgery 🔹
Recovery is a team effort. After reconstruction, patients work closely with our occupational therapists, speech therapists, and nutritionists to rebuild strength and return to daily life.

🔹 “Will I still look like me?” 🔹
This is one of the most common questions Dr. Muller hears. His answer: Yes.

Thanks to tools like virtual surgical planning, he can map out every cut before surgery, model a new jawbone to match your original anatomy, and optimize the cosmetic outcome. With today’s techniques, many of these surgeries are not disfiguring at all.

We are proud to offer state-of-the-art reconstructive options that restore both function and confidence for our patients.

Watch the video to learn more about how microvascular reconstruction surgery works — and how it helps patients heal inside and out.