June 2025
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Advancements in immunotherapy helping colorectal cancer patients
An estimated 53,000 Americans will die this year from colorectal cancer. Though generally seen in older adults, the diagnosis is increasing in younger adults.
“Alarmingly, from 1995 to 2019, the number of patients under the age of 55 who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the United States nearly doubled,” according to a paper in Nature Medicine.
The reasons for this are unknown and requires further research, as colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths second only to lung cancer.
Under principal investigator Dr. Michael S. Gordon, Medical Director (pictured right), HonorHealth Research Institute is part of a study to successfully treat colorectal cancer with a specific drug combination.
The combination immunotherapy is able to overcome the cancer’s attempt to hijack the body’s own immune system. The combination of the two antibodies in the therapy sidestep what are known as immune checkpoint blockades, natural elements that ordinarily prevent immune cells from attacking healthy tissue, but which cancer cells also use to cloak themselves.
“If the immune system gets overly aggressive, it can attack the patient’s own body. But if the immune system is shut down, it can’t fight the cancer,” Dr. Gordon explained. “With this therapy, you wind up with larger numbers of highly effective immune T cells that can attack the cancer.”
The study found that the combination immunotherapy was most effective against cancer that had not metastasized, or spread, to the liver, citing this as a possible future target of investigation.
Immunotherapy helped Rahimah (pictured right) fight stage IV colorectal cancer. The clinical trials she participated in provided innovative ways to fight the disease. Read about her cancer journey.
Learn more about clinical trials at HonorHealth Research Institute
Arizona’s extreme heat can impact your entire body system!
A talk with Integrative Medicine’s Shad Marvasti, MD
Understanding how the body responds to prolonged heat exposure is essential — especially from an integrative medicine perspective, which blends conventional science with holistic approaches.
Heat stress doesn’t just lead to discomfort; it deeply affects major systems in the body, often compounding existing health conditions. This stress can silently intensify, leading to dehydration, heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. By examining both the physiological impacts of heat and the preventative tools available, we can better prepare all individuals, especially those at greater risk, to maintain resilience in rising temperatures.
We asked Shad Marvasti, MD, Integrative Medicine Medical Director (pictured right) to help us understand how to beat the heat and stay healthy.
From an integrated medicine perspective, how does prolonged exposure to heat affect the body’s major systems — particularly the cardiovascular, nervous and endocrine systems?
Prolonged heat exposure can result in dehydration which can impact our kidneys, it can put more pressure on our heart making it have to beat faster to get blood supply to all parts of the body, and to the brain with decreased glucose and blood supplying nutrients. Prolonged heat can also lead to heat exhaustion which will eventually lead to heat stroke if someone is not able to get to a cooler place and begin rehydration.
There are subtle but recognizable differences between heat exhaustion and heat stroke, such as feeling dizzy versus a throbbing headache. But we must be aware of what our body is telling us. (See graph below)
Are there any particular supplements or lifestyle practices in integrative medicine that support the body’s resilience to heat stress?
Limiting exposure to high temperatures and staying hydrated when you know you are going to be out in the heat is the key. While heat under controlled conditions such as in a sauna or steam room can be therapeutic, prolonged exposure can be deadly. Short term exposure can boost our resilience to heat as well as our immunity and even decrease our risk for heart attacks and strokes. Safe prolonged exposure can be combatted with hydration and proper clothing to keep us cool.
Eating hydrating foods, like watermelon, is the best way to quench electrolyte and water lost from heat exposure. Drinking water with fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice and a pinch of salt can also help with maintaining hydration on a hot day.
Can you speak to how mind-body practices like meditation or breathwork can help regulate the body’s response to heat and prevent heat-related illnesses?
Engaging in regular meditation and mind-body practices like Yoga or Tai Chi will build our resilience to disease and strengthen our ability to withstand heat. This is not a replacement for wisdom in avoiding prolonged exposure to heat, but it can make a difference in our mood as well as in our ability to withstand higher temperatures over time. Climates with prolonged heat seasons can produce anxiety or irritability and so activities that calm the mind and body can reduce those states of mind.
What populations or individuals are most at risk from heat-related effects, and how can integrative approaches be tailored to protect them?
Children, the elderly and anyone with a chronic condition are at higher risk for heat-related effects. People with chronic kidney disease or heart disease are particularly more vulnerable as well. Integrative approaches help strengthen our body’s resilience against a variety of chronic conditions by enhancing our lifestyle to optimize our health. Using lifestyle changes like exercise and food as medicine can prevent, treat and even reverse the chronic diseases of our time that put us at higher risk for heat-related effects.
Silent heart attack sneaks up on young mom
With no history of high blood pressure or high cholesterol, Heather had no reason to focus on her heart health. As a mom, equestrian and traveler, she was active and seemingly healthy.
Heather and her son were enjoying a meal at a theme park when she felt a strange pressure in her throat.
“It was like the sensation you get right before you vomit,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘Am I having an allergic reaction?’”
Then came dizziness, lightheadedness and pain across the tops of her shoulders. By the time she got to a first aid station, the stabbing pain in her back was undeniable. Paramedics quickly took over, hooking her up to an EKG. Minutes later, she was in an ambulance. Within 40 minutes, she was in surgery. Her artery had completely collapsed, requiring an emergency stent.
Looking back, Sparks realizes her body had been warning her long before that fateful day. A year earlier, she visited the doctor for tightness in her chest. The response? An inhaler for possible allergy-related symptoms. Months later, while working on a ranch, she felt tingling in her left arm. She noticed it — but brushed it off.
That tendency to downplay symptoms is common, especially among women. Instead of sudden, crushing chest pain, heart attacks in women often show up as subtle discomfort, nausea, dizziness or pressure in unexpected places like the throat, back or jaw.
“Unfortunately, for years, women’s concerns have been dismissed or misattributed to anxiety, stress or even indigestion, leading to delayed or inadequate treatment,” says Sirisha Vadali, MD, a women’s cardiovascular specialist with the HonorHealth Women’s Heart Health Program. “This is changing as awareness grows and more research focuses on how heart disease affects women differently. We are becoming more attuned to these differences, and women are increasingly empowered to advocate for their health.”
Once out of the hospital, Heather’s real work began. She started a cardiac rehabilitation program to regain strength and adjust to her new normal. She also enrolled in the HonorHealth Cardiometabolic Program under Dr. Vadali’s care.
“Our program integrates cardiovascular care with metabolic health, addressing the connection between metabolic disorders and heart disease,” says Dr. Vadali. “This comprehensive approach gives patients the knowledge, tools and support they need to get back to living the life they want.”
Two years later, Heather is back in the saddle — literally. She’s riding horses four days a week and recently completed a rigorous 75-day fitness challenge. But she’s also made it her mission to educate others about spontaneous coronary artery dissection, the rare condition that caused her heart attack.
Her biggest message: Trust your instincts, seek immediate help and push for proper testing if something feels off.
Desert Mission Bottled Water Drive
Give the gift of health – make a splash in people’s resilience this summer
Our mission is to partner with you to make our community healthier. More resilient. Every day, we see how bad it gets with the increasing heat. The sun beats down and many of our neighbors have no water to drink. Older adults, young kids, people without homes — this heat puts them all at serious risk.
That’s why HonorHealth and Foundation employees are joining together this June. Our goal is to raise enough for Desert Mission to provide 50,000 bottles of water to those who need it most.
Every dollar counts and makes an immediate impact. And now, your donation is matched so your gift helps twice as many people.
💧 $5 = 40 bottles
💧 $25 = 200 bottles
💧 $50 = 400 bottles
💧 $100 = 800 bottles
💧 $250 = 2,000 bottles
Support the Bottled Water Drive today and thank you for your care.
HonorHealth expands care in West Valley
May heralded the opening of the new HonorHealth Medical Campus at Peoria. This 100,000 square-foot medical facility located on 83rd Avenue, north of Thunderbird Road, is a one-stop-shop for a variety of services, including cancer care, primary care, physical therapy, gastroenterology, breast surgery, outpatient surgery, medical imaging and more.
“With multiple specialties located on the same campus, patients will benefit from increased access to specialists and seamless coordination across the care continuum, reducing the need for patients to visit multiple locations,” said Todd LaPorte, CEO. “We are excited to bring world-class medical services to the residents of Peoria and the Northwest Valley through this new facility.”
NICU Tea & Luncheon
Save the Date and help our tiniest patients, Ready. Set. Grow!
This community favorite event will be held on Friday, September 19, 2025, at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort.
All proceeds will benefit the NICU at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea — the Northeast Valley’s only Level III NICU.
Grab your ticket or sponsorship today!
4th Annual Desert Mission Morning of Gold breakfast
Friday, November 7, 2025
Please save the date for the Morning of Gold breakfast on Friday, November 7, 2025, from 7:30 – 9 AM at the Arizona Biltmore Resort.
This annual breakfast continues a strong tradition of supporting Desert Mission’s Lincoln Learning Center, Adult Day Healthcare Center and the Desert Mission Food Bank.
Philanthropic gifts fuel our mission for finding cures,
saving lives and transforming healthcare.
Will you join us?
