There are few things more life changing than going to the doctor for a checkup that ultimately results in a cancer diagnosis. There are also few things more frightening, as the "big C" can turn a seemingly normal person of any age into a perpetual patient in what seems like an instant. During such a tough time, the best doctors approach the "big C" with another C: care.

"[Doctors] should never lose sight of the fact that [patients] are people," said Dr. Brian Shimkus, one of seven cancer specialists with Austin Cancer Centers, which recently expanded its oncology practice to the Georgetown community with the opening of Georgetown Cancer Center.

"They're scared, and until you've been in that situation, you can never understand it. The person is the primary thing you're dealing with. The disease comes second." In other words, for Shimkus and his fellow oncologists at Austin Cancer Centers, compassion , a third C , rules.

Founded in 1973, the practice's goal from the beginning has been to "provide the highest standard of care and do it with the utmost compassion and dedication," according to its Web site. This compassion is twofold, as it refers to both the patients and the community.

"Ever since Austin Cancer Centers started, we've had a commitment to the community," said Dr. Stephen Brown, an oncologist and partner with the practice for more than 12 years.

"We take care of all patients whether they have insurance or not. As a group of doctors, we feel it's our obligation to our community and state as a whole.

Austin Cancer Centers is particularly special to Brown, as his father and fellow radiation oncologist, Dr. George Brown, founded the practice and continues to work alongside him. Perhaps these family ties are part of the reason the practice "has a long-standing track record of stability and very little turnover," according to radiation oncologist and partner Dr. Douglas Rivera.

"When you [enter] a practice, you want to join people [who] will be fair and treat you like an equal. That's how it's been here. We all value each other."

Brown agreed, "We're the alternative to corporate medicine. We're in a position where we're small enough that we can make decisions that aren't all financially based, and we have the ability to provide patients with therapeutics. Our model isn't based on profit."

The model is, however, based on excellence. The practice's board-certified cancer physicians boast more than half a century of professional experience, and they "constantly reinvest in technology as a group," according to Brown. Such upgrades, as well as the practice's five clinics in the metro area, ensure that patients and their families don't have to leave the Capitol City to get the best care available to meet their needs.

The practice also offers a wide variety of services from diagnosis and chemotherapy to support services and radiation therapy. Patients may vary in age from the pediatric to the geriatric, but Shimkus, Brown and Rivera all cite the relationships they build with their patients as one of the best parts of the job. Shimkus even refers to the bond between a doctor and a patient as "one of the tighter bonds formed in medicine."

However, creating a bond with cancer patients and genuinely caring about their welfare often brings about a fourth C: a challenge. It's never easy developing such a bond and realizing, "at the end of the day, there are some people [who] you can't cure," according to Rivera.

Pediatrics, however, can be "even more difficult, especially if you're a parent," he continued.

"The challenging thing is seeing these little kids having to undergo so much adversity in terms of therapy, side effects and everything about it."

Regardless of the practice's advanced technology and the expertise of its doctors, physicians and patients can't always beat the "big C" that is cancer. But physicians can

"truly make an impact on people's lives," whatever the outcome, and according to Rivera, "there's nothing more rewarding than that."

In short, Shimkus, Brown, Rivera and the entire team at Austin Cancer Centers has the drive, the expertise and the genuine compassion that any cancer patient would be fortunate to have. After all,"it really is about caring," Shimkus said.

"The patients and their families show their appreciation for somebody [who] cares regardless of the outcome. They say, thank you. 'You made that a beautiful experience when it could've been a terrifying one.' We help them through death.

"Of course, the best moments are when the disease is gone and you hand them their life back. The end of the relationship is sometimes the best part. You know it's a job well done when you're able to look at them and say, 'you're cured.'"

Dr. Brian Shimkus From watching oncologists in action during elementary school to earning his MD at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta in 1998, this board-certified cancer specialist from Atlanta, Ga., has always wanted to be a doctor.

With a lot of hard work and a little guidance from his father, he finds a healthy balance between his work and his professional memberships with the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Medical Association, as well as with his wife and four children.

He has been an Austin resident and member of the oncology team at Austin Cancer Centers for about seven years.

Dr. Stephen Brown The son of the man who brought Austin Cancer Centers to life was once the self-appointed "black sheep" of the family.

But thanks to a little encouragement from the ER doctors he worked with as a paramedic during college, as well as a few weeks of working with his father, this Riverside, Calif., native developed an interest in radiation oncology, earned his MD at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Texas, in 1992 and joined the family business. He boasts memberships with the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology & Oncology and the American College of Radiology, and is married with four children.

Dr. Douglas Rivera He may have a total of about 50 cousins, but this military son who grew up "all over the place" became the first medical professional in his family. His personal bouts with cancer in his family led him a career in radiation oncology, as well as to pursue his training in that field at Duke University.

This father of two young children has been with Austin Cancer Centers for five years as of August.

The Austin Cancer Centers and Georgetown Cancer Center family of cancer clinics also includes Dr. Shannon Cox and Dr. Kirsten Warhoe, both radiation oncologists and partners in the group. Dr. John Costanzi, who specializes in hematology and medical oncology, is also a member of this prestigious team of cancer care physicians.

For more information about Austin Cancer Centers, call 512-623-5269; for more information on Georgetown Cancer Center, call 512-763-3851. You can also visit the family of cancer clinics online at www.austincancercenters.com.