Cancer Care Associates, Oklahoma City, OK

It was while meeting with one of his patients at Cancer Care Associates that Dr. Ali Moussa found out he had cancer. "My cell phone rang, and my doctor told me," he said. "I could hardly concentrate the rest of the day. "He was diagnosed with a very rare cancer, pheochromocytoma. Like the unusual diagnosis, Dr. Moussa's path to finding his problem took him on an odd trek.

Plagued with horrendous headaches, Dr. Moussa looked for help from his doctor friends in the summer of 2006. "We thought it was sinusitis. I even had surgery a few months later," he said. Despite months of treatment and the surgery, the headaches continued. "They were so bad it would wake me up at night," he said.

Following a trip to a neurologist, the diagnosis was changed to migraines, and he was prescribed medication. "That didn't make sense to me," he said. "I'd never had migraines before. I didn't want to waste time with medication." So the doctor became his own patient. "I did a full work up on myself," he said. He started with looking at his many symptoms: unbearable headaches, high blood pressure, sweating and palpitations. "I ordered myself a complete body scan," he said. After a CAT scan, the doctor took his results to a radiologist friend. Soon, the doctor learned there was a 4.2 centimeter mass on his right adrenal gland. This gland on top of the kidney is responsible for controlling many hormones as well as adrenaline. The mass was causing the adrenaline to secrete constantly. "Imagine being in a constant state of fear," he said. "That's how my body felt 24/7 -- heart beating fast, blood pressure up, sweating."

Following more testing, it was determined the mass was pheochromocytoma. This rare cancer only occurs in about 800 patients a year in the United States. It's estimated about 50 percent of cases with this type of cancer are undiagnosed. Fortunately, in Dr. Moussa's case the cancer could be removed with surgery. "The problem with this disease is you can't tell if it's malignant or benign," he said. "They all look the same. Removing it is the best option. "During a five hour surgery, a surgeon carefully sliced away the tumor. Because all of it was removed, no chemotherapy or radiation was needed. Patients who aren't so fortunate may need follow-up radiation.

Dr. Moussa was soon back to good health and practicing as an oncologist again. However, the way he looks at patients' has changed a bit. "I was always considerate to patients, but I feel what they are going through now," he said. He empathizes as patients struggle with frustration and helplessness. "I know what it's like to wait an hour for the doctor," he said. "And these doctors were my friends. I had preferential treatment."

The doctor will be tested periodically to see if the cancer has returned because there is a higher chance those affected by this disease will develop another type of cancer somewhere else in the body. "I still have fear that the tumor will come back," Dr. Moussa said. "When patients call and have complaints or worries, I take even more time now to see if they do need more testing. You understand the path much better once you've passed through it." The long waits, the worrying and the unanswered question "why" resonates deeply with Dr. Moussa. "It's an experience I wish no one would have to go through."