Who we are

Orlando’s local community cancer center

Winter Park Oncology is a physician owned, independent freestanding radiation oncology center. We pride ourselves on delivering state of the art radiation treatments, based on National Clinical Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. All of our treatment decisions are literature based.

What we do

Provide care close to home

We provide care in a comfortable convenient setting close to home. Unlike large regional corporate hospitals, that treat hundreds of patients in a day, we deliver radiation treatments in a much more intimate and personalized manner, focusing on a smaller number of patients. We constantly strive to provide personalized care in an effort to meet the specific needs of our patients and their families.

Benefits of our independence

Our independence benefits patients

Being an independent center allows us to work with your personal physicians, whether they are independent, in a large group, or hospital based. This ability to work with all your physicians, ensures continuity of care for our patients. Continuity of care is a key factor to improving clinical outcomes. We strive to avoid hospitalization of our patients, in an effort to make cancer care more convenient, and significantly more cost effective.

We accept

Commercial insurances, Medicare and Medicaid

Most major commercial insurances, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. We also strive to work with each patient to develop a patient specific payment plan to meet the needs of our patients. We work hard to ensure that patients receive the medical care they need, regardless of their financial situation.

Dr. David Buser

Information on Dr. Buser

Learn More

Dr. Michael Sombeck

Information on Dr. Sombeck

Learn More

Our Facility

Winter Park Facility provides

Learn More

About Winter Park Oncology

Who we are

Orlando’s local community cancer center. Winter Park Oncology is a physician owned, independent freestanding radiation oncology center. We pride ourselves on delivering state of the art radiation treatments, based on National Clinical Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. All of our treatment decisions are literature based.

What we do

We provide care in a comfortable convenient setting close to home. Unlike large regional corporate hospitals, that treat hundreds of patients in a day, we deliver radiation treatments in a much more intimate and personalized manner, focusing on a smaller number of patients. We constantly strive to provide personalized care in an effort to meet the specific needs of our patients and their families.

Our center

We are focused on delivering University quality care, in a community setting. Our center is conveniently located in Winter Park Florida, between interstate I-4 and Orlando Avenue. Our state of the art facility has ample on-site parking, allowing easy access to our beautiful, spacious, 9600 square foot cancer treatment facility.

Our independence benefits our patients

Being an independent center allows us to work with your personal physicians, whether they are independent, in a large group, or hospital based. This ability to work with all your physicians, ensures continuity of care for our patients. Continuity of care is a key factor to improving clinical outcomes. We strive to avoid hospitalization of our patients, in an effort to make cancer care more convenient, and significantly more cost effective.

We accept

Most major commercial insurances, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. We also strive to work with each patient to develop a patient specific payment plan to meet the needs of our patients. We work hard to ensure that patients receive the medical care they need, regardless of their financial situation.

David Buser, MD, MS, DABR

Diplomate American Board of Radiology, Board Certified Radiation Oncology

Training

Dr. David Buser completed his undergraduate education at Washington University in St. Louis, where he graduated with a double major in Biology and Psychology. He then earned his Masters of Science at the University of Illinois, where he was actively engaged in neuroscience research. He went on to earn his medical degree from the Southern Illinois School of Medicine. Dr. Buser completed his first residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, where he published research in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Practice

After practicing as a board certified OB/GYN in Naples Florida for seven years, he experienced a hand injury which prevented further practice in this specialty. As a dedicated physician, Dr. Buser pursued a second residency in Radiation Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. There, he was chosen to serve on the Duke University Medical School admissions committee. He also taught students.

Experience

During his residency, Dr. Buser received extensive training in the treatment of cancers of the breast, prostate, brain, gastrointestinal tract, head and neck, lung, lymphoma, genitourinary tract and gynecologic cancers. Today, he utilizes multiple advanced radiation therapy techniques—including IMRT, IGRT, RapidArc, 3D Conformal radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy and brachytherapy—to aggressively treat cancer, while minimizing radiation exposure to normal tissues.

Philosophy

Patient care requires open communication, compassion and collaboration with patients, their families and other physicians. Having practiced in two very distinct fields of medicine, Dr. Buser’s unique experience enables him to be a strong patient advocate, reaching out to multiple medical subspecialties to achieve optimal treatment results. Although the cancer care journey requires difficult decisions, Dr. Buser considers it a privilege to help guide patients and families along the path.

Memberships

Dr. Buser is a member of various medical organizations including ASTRO (American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology), ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology), ACRO (American College of Radiation Oncology) and ACR (American College of Radiology).

Click to download a copy of Dr. Buser's bio

Michael Sombeck, MD, DABR

Diplomate American Board of Radiology, Board Certified Radiation Oncology

Training

Dr. Michael Sombeck completed his undergraduate education at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology. He then went on to earn his medical degree from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He completed an internship in Internal Medicine and went on to begin his residency in Radiation Oncology at the University of Florida. He has been published numerous times throughout his residency, and won the University of Florida’s Department of Radiation Oncology Talken Award in 1991 for having the most outstanding resident research project. He became a board-certified Radiation Oncologist in 1993.

Practice

Dr. Sombeck continued his career at the University of Florida, where he served as the assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology for four years after finishing his residency. He then moved to Orlando, Florida, where he worked with Advent Health and Winter Park Cancer Center as a staff radiation oncologist, as well as being an investigator for the Clinical Research Center of Florida Hospital Cancer Institute for sixteen years.

Our Specialties

Below is a list of cancer sites we treat in Winter Park Oncology.

Prostate

Read More

X

Prostate

Prostate cancers are the most common cancer among men in the United States. More than 192,000 cases are diagnosed each year. It is second on the lung cancer as a cause of cancer deaths among men in this country. One out of every 7 American men will be diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime.

The prostate is approximately the size of a walnut and is a gland in the male reproductive system. It is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. The urethra travels through the center of the prostate and is the tube and empties urine from the bladder. The prostate helps produce semen and nourished sperm.

Almost all prostate cancers begin in the gland cells of the prostate, and are known as adenocarcinomas.

Age is the most important risk factor for the development of prostate cancer. Most men who developed prostate cancer are older than 50. Approximately two thirds of prostate cancer is diagnosed in men older than 65. Family history is also a risk factor for prostate cancer, for instance, when other members of your family (especially father, brother, son) have or had prostate cancer, especially if they were young when they were diagnosed. African-American men have nearly double the risk of prostate cancer as white men. A diet high in animal fats may increase the risk, and diets high in fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk.

 

Radiation therapy is the time tested nonsurgical treatment for prostate cancer. In comparison to surgery which has fairly significant rates of urinary leakage after treatment of prostate cancer, it is extremely unlikely that patients treated with radiation will leak urine after radiation treatments. Unlike other more recently approved treatments for prostate cancer, there are literally decades of research showing the effectiveness of radiation therapy for the treatment of prostate cancer.

When used as a primary treatment for prostate cancer, radiation therapy offers a very high cure rate for prostate cancer. Radiation therapy can also be utilized after prostatectomy for various indications including persistent PSA, positive margins, extracapsular extension of the prostate cancer through the capsule of the prostate, and invasion into the seminal vesicles after prostatectomy.

Over the past decade improvements in radiation therapy equipment, and planning software have led to a significant decrease in toxicity from treatment, as well as significantly higher cure rates.

Radiation is delivered Monday through Friday, usually once daily, over the course of approximately 8 weeks. Patients are at the radiation center for approximately 20 minutes each day and then can return back to their normal activities. Most patients that are working can continue to work throughout treatment. The most common side effects during radiation therapy are minor fatigue and increased urinary frequency, which is most noticeable during the final few weeks of treatment. These symptoms then generally quickly resolve over the first few weeks after completion of therapy.

 

Each day just prior to treatment the radiation therapy equipment will perform a small focused CT scan and then computer matching will be utilized to match the treatment plan to the daily image. This daily imaging allows for extremely precise delivery of radiation to the prostate in order to decrease radiation dose to surrounding normal structures.

 

At Winter Park Oncology we follow strict National treatment protocols regarding treatment volumes and radiation therapy dose. We pride ourselves on adhering to national guidelines to ensure that your treatment at our center will meet the highest standards of major academic centers.

 

Since we are your local community cancer center, at Winter Park Oncology we will continue to follow you after completion of your treatment and will see you for years after completion of therapy. We will continue to work with your local physicians to ensure that they're aware of your progress throughout and after treatment.

 

We look forward to meeting you in helping you through your cancer journey. We pride ourselves on having lengthy discussions with our patient during and after treatment in order to ensure that they fully understand their cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Close Window

Breast

Read More

X

Breast

Breast cancer is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths in United States each year, along with more than 265,000 cancer diagnoses. Fortunately, new treatments have pushed this disease's five-year survival rate to nearly 90%.

Traditionally most breast cancers have been classified as either ductal or lobular. Lobular carcinomas start in the breasts milk producing glands, call the lobules. Ductal carcinomas start in the cells of the milk ducts, which carry milk from the lobules to the nipples. Both of these types of breast cancer can be noninvasive, meaning the diseased cells have not spread into surrounding normal tissue. Noninvasive diseases are by definition early in the cancer development process. In fact, non-invasive lobular carcinoma is so early that is not even classified as cancer. Instead it is considered a cancer risk factor and may not even require surgery.

Both ductal and lobular carcinomas can also be invasive, meaning the cancer spreads beyond the lobular or duct where it first started into the nearby tissues.

Breast cancer treatments are designed on several factors, including whether the cancer is ductal or lobular, and invasive or noninvasive. For invasive breast cancers, another key factor is the molecular receptor status of the cancer cells. Receptors are molecules that cancer cells produce on their surface. These receptors can interact or bind with specific proteins and hormones and the patient's body. This interaction is known as recognition.

Researchers have identified certain types of receptors that feed the growth and spread of breast cancer when they recognize, or bind, with a specific molecule. As expected, as research on breast cancer continues, more subtypes with different treatments are likely to emerge. Today the 3 main subtypes are (1) HER-2 positive breast cancer, (2) hormone receptor positive/estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (sometimes called luminal A), and (3) triple negative breast cancer (sometimes called basal breast cancer).

HER-2 is a protein the promotes cell growth and multiplication, and is found on the surface of all breast cells. Breast cancer is HER-2 positive when it has much higher levels of the protein than normal.

A HER-2 positive diagnosis was at one time associated with a higher risk of recurrence. Recent treatment advances, particularly with targeted therapies, have made the disease curable in its early stages. The same targeted therapies have also extended the survival for patients whose cancer spreads beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes.

Hormone receptor positive breast cancer has receptors that bind with 1 or 2 naturally occurring hormones, estrogen and progesterone. These hormones feed the growth of the cancer by binding to these receptors. Endocrine therapies target the receptors for hormone recognition. These therapies can limit the body's production of estrogen and progesterone, or stop the receptors from recognizing the hormones. Thanks to endocrine therapy, and these cancer's tendency to spread relatively slowly, hormone receptor positive breast cancer is considered the most treatable form of all the 3 main types of breast cancer.

Triple negative breast cancer covers most breast cancers that don’t have one of the other 3 receptors. Besides this, triple negative breast cancers can have very little in common with other breast cancers. Since there isn't an established receptor to target in triple negative breast cancer, this is the most difficult of the 3 receptor subtypes to treat. Triple negative breast cancer also tends to be more aggressive, so the prognosis for this subtype is often worse than the others. Some triple negative breast cancers, however, do respond well to chemotherapy. In some cases, chemotherapy works so well that no cancer is found at the time of surgery. This is called a pathologic complete response.

In addition to these main 3 types of breast cancer, there are additional subtypes including inflammatory breast cancer, metaplastic breast cancer, and male breast cancer.

Breast cancers Key risk factors include age, with most breast cancers diagnosed over the age of 50. In addition, certain inherited genetic mutations including BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations predisposed to breast cancer. Normally BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes repair damaged DNA. When these genes are mutated in certain ways, they fail at DNA repair, which could lead to breast and/or ovarian cancer. Other gene mutations associated with higher risk of cancer include PALB 2, another DNA repair gene, CHEK2, tumor suppressor gene, and PTEN which controls how quickly cells multiply.

Family history also plays a factor in a woman's odds of developing breast cancer. A woman's odds increases if a parent, sibling, or child has had the disease. Early menstruation especially when women began menstruating before age 12 leads to a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Women who have no full-term pregnancies, or the first pregnancy after age 30 her at a higher risk of breast cancer.

Prior breast cancer diagnosis is also a risk factor for breast cancer. Prior radiation therapy to the chest as a child her during early adulthood for certain lymphomas can increase breast cancer risk. Obesity, particularly after menopause, increases a woman's breast cancer risk. Dense breast tissue based on its appearance and mammogram is a known risk factor for breast cancer.

Breast cancer symptoms may include the following:

Lump or mass in your breast. Enlarged lymph nodes in the armpit. Changes in breast size, shape, skin texture or color. Skin redness. Dimpling or puckering on the breast. Scaliness on the breast or nipple. Discharge from the nipple. Nipple changes, including the nipple turning inward, pulling to one side or changing direction. However, these symptoms do not always mean you have breast cancer. It is important to discuss any symptoms with your doctor since they may also signal other health problems.

Treatment:

Surgery is a cornerstone management of breast cancer. Like all surgeries breast cancer surgery is most successful when performed by a specialist with a great deal of experience of the particular procedure. In Orlando we are fortunate to have a significant number of highly trained and highly skilled surgeons who can perform this type of surgery.

Some patients receive chemotherapy or targeted therapies (systemic therapy) prior to surgery. The goal of these treatments is to shrink the tumor and any involved lymph nodes in order to make the procedure and recovery as easy as possible and the patient. This also allows the treatment team to assess how the cancer has responded to systemic treatment, which can be important for some types of breast cancer.

Surgeries themselves fall into 1 of 2 categories: Lumpectomies and mastectomies. Your surgeon will recommend the best option for you based on the size and location of the tumors in the breast, the size of the breast itself and the need for radiation treatment.

In a typical lumpectomy surgery, the tumor and a small amount of surrounding normal tissue is removed. Lumpectomies are generally outpatient procedures, and have shorter recovery times. These procedures are usually followed by radiation therapy. In the case of invasive breast cancer, a sentinel lymph node procedure is performed which will allow the surgeon to identify the first lymph nodes that this particular tumor would spread to, thereby allowing a very targeted approach to surgical lymph node evaluation.

The surgical procedures are a critical part of your breast cancer treatment, yielding a significant amount of extremely important information. The information from the surgical pathology report, as well as the surgeon's operative report, allows us to make decisions regarding designing your radiation treatment fields.

The radiation fields themselves are designed based on strict adherence to national radiation trial protocols. These treatment fields can be extremely complicated, and the radiation treatment planning can take up to a week or more depending on the complexity of the plan. Modern radiation treatment fields are designed to decrease toxicity to the lungs, heart and adjacent breast, and to ensure that the radiation is delivered in a homogeneous (even) dose distribution throughout the breast tissue and lymph node regions at risk of microscopic disease.

At Winter Park oncology we follow strict National radiation protocols, regarding treatment volumes and radiation therapy dose. We pride ourselves on adhering to the National Guidelines to ensure that your treatment at our center will meet the high standards of any major academic center.

Since we are your local community cancer center we can continue to follow you after completion of your treatment, and will see you for years after completion of therapy. We will continue to work with your local physicians to ensure that they're aware of your progress both throughout, and after treatment.

We look forward to meeting you in helping you through your cancer journey. We pride ourselves on having lengthy discussions with our patients during and after treatment, in order to ensure that they fully understand their individual cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Head & Neck

Read More

Colorectal

Read More

Bone

Read More

Cervical/GYN

Read More

Pancreas

Read More

Esophagus

Read More

Stomach

Read More

Brain

Read More

Sarcoma

Read More

Lymphoma

Read More

Skin

Read More

Lung

Read More

The ARTISTE™ Solution from Siemens® Medical Solutions, Inc.

The Siemens® ARTISTE™ integrates imaging for precise targeting of radiation beams. Our German engineered Siemens Linear Accelerator (LINAC), has an advanced 160 leaf collimator, which ensures highly conformal radiation treatments. This allows us to deliver radiation to the target, while decreasing dose to surrounding normal tissues. At Winter Park Oncology, we perform radiation planning according to national trial guidelines.

The ARTISTETM linear accelerator can be used for different treatment approaches, including 3D-Conformal radiation therapy Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT).

This system is made for high-precision radiation therapy and uses multiple imaging modalities. It is ideally suited for Image-Guided Radiation Therapy or IGRT to improve targeting of the radiation beam and reduce risk to nearby tissue. The system gives your doctor the opportunity to tailor your treatment and choose the radiation therapy modality that is best for your particular case. The Siemens syngo® RT Therapist operating system integrates imaging with treatment delivery to provide fast and accurate radiation delivery and the Siemens open design and large patient clearance provides you with a comfortable and safe environment.

The ARTISTETM linear accelerator are currently used in major academic centers including Cleveland Clinic, UCSF, and Columbia University. Below is a video showing the features of this Artiste treatment system .


Our Patients' Testimonials

A.R.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

A very professional and caring group of individuals. The best medical facility a patient could hope for specially in today's fast pace environment.

M.R.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

I am very pleased with everyone here. If I need to come back, I will definitely but possibly in faith I won't. Thank you!

J.W.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

Stacy and Heidi were fabulous - very professional, but also very friendlily. Nurses were also great. Thanks!

M.R.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

I am very grateful to you for your great quality of attention towards me. God bless you.

G.M.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

The staff was very professional and treated me with care and compassion. I am grateful to everyone here and thank you for helping me feel comfortable and cared for during this time.

G.F.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

Love the staff. Very , very courteous and helpful, makes you comfortable. Will recommend this facility to others. Keep up the good work here. May God Bless each and everyone who works here.

L.U.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

All of you have made this experience very pleasant. We'll actually miss you.

W.J.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

Treatment sessions were all handled with concern and everyone seemed to be compassionate about my health and wellbeing. Excellent service.

N.M.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

All the staff (including the doctor) did a wonderful job. They showed they care about me, helping me, treating me with respect. Everybody was very kind and very friendly. Keep up the good job.

W.L.

Patient treated by Dr. Buser

I think the world of this entire staff. They made this process pleasant.


powered by BirdEye

Patient Resources

Below is a list of useful on-line resource for patients and care givers.

LIST OF RESOURCES

RTOG

Radiation Therapy Oncology Group official website is a great place to find the clinical trial information on radiation therapy.

Siemens Artiste

Siemens Artiste LINAC Information from Siemens Medical System.

NCI

National Cancer Institute is one of the most comprehensive website to obtain information on various topics on Cancer.

ACS

American Cancer Society official website.

WHO

World Heath Organization is another site has international information on cancer treatment.

Useful LINKS

Contact Info

To schedule an appointment, please call: (407) 478-4920.

Address

1561 W. Fairbanks Ave, Suite 100, Winter Park, FL 32789

Phone

407 478 4920

Email

contact@winterparkoncology.com

Getting Ready for Your Visit

In order for us to provide the best care for you, it is very important that you bring the following items to your visit:

• Photo ID

• A list of your current medications

• Any and all x-rays films, CT images, PET images, MRI images

• Insurance information and card

• Information about what treatments and medications have been tried in the past

• Medical records from prior visits that you think may be helpful