UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center brings comprehensive cancer services to Rio Grande Valley patients

By Heriberto Perez–Zuñiga

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – JUNE 9, 2026 – For Palmhurst resident Arnold Rodriguez, the words "you have cancer" arrived more than once. 

The former educator and cancer survivor was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019, followed by follicular lymphoma. Two subsequent relapses required cutting-edge CAR-T cell therapy, a clinical trial that forced Rodriguez and his wife to spend weeks in a Houston apartment, spending Christmas far from home walking the hospital hallways. 

But when his prostate cancer recently recurred, his experience was entirely different.

"My cancer journey continued, but this time I didn't have to go back to Houston and stay there for another five to eight weeks," Rodriguez said. "I did it all here at home."

Rodriguez is now completing his final days of specialized radiation therapy at the UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center. Located just five minutes from his daily routine and close to family, the local center eliminated the burden of travel, hotel costs and time away from home.

As June marks National Cancer Survivors Month, physicians at UT Health RGV said expanding access to oncology care is helping Rio Grande Valley patients navigate their diagnoses closer to the people and places that matter most.

"We understand a new cancer diagnosis is scary and daunting for patients," said Dr. Wilbur "Bo" Bowne, a UT Health RGV surgical oncologist and chair of the Department of Surgery at the UTRGV School of Medicine. "We believe that patients should be treated like family. You are not here alone. We are here to guide you through your journey." 

EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS

The UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center offers comprehensive care in a single location, including surgical, medical and radiation oncology, alongside imaging and supportive services. For Valley patients, having access to these services reduces the burden of coordinating care across multiple providers and cities.

Having previously received care at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Rodriguez is deeply familiar with top-tier oncology environments. He said that the quality of care in the Valley has exceeded his expectations.

"If I had to compare the kind of treatment that I've received at the UT Health RGV Cancer and Surgery Center to my experiences at some other hospitals, I would say I'm receiving the same kind of care or better, but with the convenience of being home," he said. "We've got equipment here comparable to what larger hospitals use. It is really state-of-the-art, very precise, very quick and painless."

Cancer survivor Bruce Curry reached a similar conclusion from a different starting point. When Curry was diagnosed, he initially expected to seek care in San Antonio.

"Going to San Antonio was going to be financially impossible for me because my treatment required that I get treatment every day at different points," Curry said. "They were going to make me wait three weeks before I could even get an interview with a doctor."

Instead, Curry connected with Dr. Terence Herman, a board-certified oncologist/hematologist, and a team at UT Health RGV, beginning treatment within days.

"I was able to meet Dr. Herman, get referred, get all of the necessary testing I needed within their system, and start my treatment quicker than those three weeks," he said. "To me, it was wonderful to be here."

EVERY JOURNEY IS DIFFERENT

Bowne said the center's approach starts with recognizing that no two patients – and no two cancer diagnoses – are the same.

"We understand that every patient is unique and should not be defined by their cancer," Bowne said. "Every cancer journey is different. Importantly, we take great pride in being a multidisciplinary cancer team that treats the most complex patient situations, whatever the circumstances or nature of the condition."

Rodriguez said that the daily experience of receiving treatment has been shaped by both the technology and the people behind it. He speaks warmly about the radiation technologists he sees every morning, who greet him with mariachi music and a familiar ease that has made his visits something he looks forward to rather than dreads. 

"I will miss them in four days when I finish my treatment," he said.

Having traveled a long road through multiple diagnoses, clinical trials and distant care, Rodriguez now channels his experience into advocacy. Since retiring, he has partnered with national cancer support organizations and completed training as a Latino cancer patient advocate, helping others understand survivorship, clinical trials and their treatment options.

For the Rio Grande Valley population, he said, having a center like this close to home is significant. 

"We don't have to travel out of the Valley anymore," Rodriguez said. "If someone from the Valley doesn't know where to go, just start here."

To learn more about cancer care services at UT Health RGV, visit UTHealthRGV.org.