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Screening Guidelines for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men.  While the disease is prevalent across the country, the screening guidelines are not.  Prostate cancer screenings have always been somewhat controversial because the tests often alert physicians to the presence of cancer, but there is no precise way to determine, definitively, whether the cancer…

UV Safety Month

July is National Ultraviolet (UV) Safety Month.  The purpose of the month is to raise awareness of the dangers of UV radiation and spread the word about how important it is to protect everyone’s skin from the harmful effects of UV rays. Ultraviolet radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation that comes from the sun…

Treating Cancers of the Digestive System with Radiation Therapy

Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancer is a term for the group of cancers that affect the digestive system. This includes cancers of the esophagus, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, bowel (large intestine or colon and rectum), and anus. The symptoms for GI cancer relate to the organ affected and can include obstruction (blockage) leading to difficulty…

Pacific Cancer Institute Welcomes Berit L. Madsen, M.D., FACR

Pacific Cancer Institute announced that radiation oncologist Berit Madsen, M.D. has joined their cancer care treatment team. Berit L. Madsen, M.D., FACR is a board-certified radiation oncologist with the Pacific Cancer Institute, joining the PCI team in December 2020. Dr. Madsen received her Bachelor of Arts in human biology from Stanford University in Stanford, California, and…

Cancer Screen Week 2021

Cancer Screen WeekAccording to the American Cancer Society, almost 608,570 people are expected to die from cancer in 2021. Regular screening can help find certain cancers early when they are most likely to be treated successfully. This Cancer Screen Week (Dec 6-10), helps us raise awareness and learn more of the potentially lifesaving benefits of…

National Brain Tumor Awareness Month

May is National Brain Tumor Awareness Month. Driven by advancement in research, surgical techniques, genetic discoveries, and much more, it has never been a better time to take action on brain tumors. The National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS), an organization whose mission is to unrelentingly invest in, mobilize, and unite our community to discover a…

New CT Scanner Provides 4D Imaging

By Dakota Grossman, Staff Writer for The Maui News KAHULUI — Pacific Cancer Institute has installed a new CT scanner that is “unlike any in Hawaii” for its ability to image cancer in the body more efficiently and effectively, according to medical officials. Benton Turner, administrator at the cancer institute, said earlier this month in an email that…

National Radon Action Month

Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers in America and claims the lives of about 21,000 Americans each year.  In fact, the EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General urge all Americans to protect their health by testing their homes, schools, and other buildings for radon. Radon is an invisible, odorless, tasteless…

Treating Cervical Cancer with Radiation Therapy

Over 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States every year.  That is 33 women a day. Unlike some other cancers, cervical cancer is not considered to be passed down through family genes.  It is caused by certain types of human papillomavirus (HPV).  When a female is infected with these types of…

Treating Pancreatic Cancer with Radiation Therapy

November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month and according to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and is the only one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers with a five-year relative survival rate in the single digits, at just six percent. …

Sunscreen: Your Skin’s Best Friend

While the weather is usually nice all year long on the island, it really heats up during the summer months.  The sun is shining, the weather is warm, and people are spending time outside.  While all the fun in the sun activities are a good time, they are also exposing you to ultraviolet radiation from…

Celebrating Cancer Survivors

June is National Cancer Survivor Month and June 4th is National Cancer Survivors Day®. National Cancer Survivors Day is a day to celebrate and recognize cancer survivors, inspire those recently diagnosed, and, most importantly, to celebrate life. As part of the 30th annual National Cancer Survivors Day, cancer survivors and supporters in communities around the…

Cancer Support: Educational Series with Dr. Falit

Join Benjamin Falit, M.D., radiation oncologist at Pacific Cancer Institute, for the first in a series of educational cancer events.  Dr. Falit will speak about radiation therapy and its role in cancer care. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 8, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. in the ‘Ike Le’a Building at Uh…

Caring for Our Veterans

Did you know? – There are currently 24 million veterans living in the United States. – Veterans exposed to Agent Orange are 50% more likely to develop prostate cancer than unexposed veterans. – There are 10,000 veterans who are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. – According to a 2009 study, military women are 20%-40%…

The Importance of Getting a Second Opinion

A recent article from CancerConnect.com, a patient-focused cancer website, suggests that if you have been diagnosed with cancer, seeking a second opinion will allow you to learn more about your cancer type and make truly informed decisions about treatment. The article recommends that all cancer patients should consider seeing at least one additional expert after…

Early Diagnosis: These Five Cancer Screenings Are Recommended

One of the ways you can reduce your risk for cancer is by getting screening tests that can help find cancer at an early stage, before symptoms appear. When abnormal tissue or cancer is found early, it may be easier to treat or cure.  By the time symptoms appear, the cancer may have grown and…

Treating the World’s Most Common Cancer

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the only international organization devoted solely to education, prevention, early detection, and prompt treatment of the world’s most common cancer, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime. Skin cancer occurs when there are abnormalities in the cells that make up the skin. …

Benjamin Falit, M.D. on KEWE 1240 AM/95.5 FM – Part 2

Benjamin Falit, M.D., radiation oncologist at Pacific Cancer Institute (PCI), was recently a guest on KEWE 1240 AM/95.5 FM. Click to play the second part of a two segment interview and listen to Dr. Falit discuss what radiation oncology is and the role a radiation oncologist plays in a cancer patient’s treatment. For more information…

Benjamin Falit, M.D. on KEWE 1240 AM/95.5 FM – Part 1

Benjamin Falit, M.D., radiation oncologist at Pacific Cancer Institute (PCI), was recently a guest on KEWE 1240 AM/95.5 FM. Click to play the first part of a two segment interview and get introduced to Dr. Falit. Get to know the physician better by listening to him talk about where he is from, the fact that…

Zeroing in on Moving Targets

Cancer institute launches a new radiation treatment.   Simply put, the aim of using radiation therapy is to zap and kill cancerous cells while doing as little harm as possible to healthy tissue, said Dr. Bobby Baker, the Pacific Cancer Institute of Maui’s founder and president. That goal has been elusive, especially with cancerous tumors…

Beam Begins Battle on Cancer Cells

The Pacific Cancer Institute of Maui is undertaking a nearly $7 million expansion and renovation project, primarily to accommodate a new, $3 million machine for radiation surgery and therapy.