From an interview with
Dr. Dioval Remonde
MRMC Radiation Oncology

At McLeod Health, we treat a variety of cancers, basically anywhere in the body, from the scalp on someone’s head down to the soles of their feet, and anything in between. Depending on the type of cancer the patient has, the majority of the time it’s amenable to radiation. McLeod Radiation Oncologist Dr. Dioval Remonde offers suggestions on how to effectively communicate with your provider about your radiation therapy.

Are there things that patients can do proactively to have a better experience while they’re undergoing radiation therapy?

In the age of the internet and patients having access to so much information that’s virtually limitless, that can be a double-edged sword at times. I always encourage patients to read about their cancer and to gain more knowledge, as well as talking with others who have been through similar experiences. This can be very therapeutic. However, patients must keep in mind that other people’s opinions can bias us into certain views or perspectives that either aren’t common or just aren’t true. There’s so much information to digest, and it can be very difficult to interpret or discern what’s fact, what’s opinion, or what’s something in between.

I emphasize the importance of patients remaining open-minded and being open to communication with their physician. I can’t promise that I’ll have the answer to every single question they have, but I can promise to always communicate and to be transparent about what I know and what I don’t know.

What are some of the side effects of radiation therapy?

In terms of side effects associated with radiation, for the most part, they’re all local, apart from tiredness. And tiredness is a combination of two things; one is the actual radiation itself. The radiation activates the immune system in a way that releases certain chemicals in the body, similar to when you’re trying to fight off an infection or the flu. Your body’s tired because it’s producing chemicals to fight off whatever is attacking it. I think that’s the primary side effect from radiation that causes fatigue. And then when a patient is coming to treatments daily and essentially seeing the doctor every day for multiple days over a period of a few weeks is tiring within itself. In my opinion, those are the two major factors as to why  patients feel tired, even though treatment itself isn’t that long.

How can patients take care of themselves emotionally and mentally as they go through radiation?

I’ve always been told that the key to growth is remaining open to feedback, whether that’s good or bad. Undergoing cancer treatment is difficult, but it’s also a very personal journey, one that’s unique to every patient. That patient is the only person in the world who knows exactly how they’re feeling and what they’re going through. Given our different experiences and perspectives, there’s always a personalized aspect of their cancer care that I encourage patients to embrace. When they are open and communicate with me about what their needs are and what we can do as their caregivers to make their experience easier, we can more effectively support them through this difficult time.

What can patients do to be their own health advocate during radiation?

I would encourage patients not to be afraid to speak up. Often patients don’t want to voice their concerns because they don’t want to be labeled as difficult or to be a burden to their doctor. That is never a feeling I want any of my patients to have. Cancer can be a scary word to hear and a difficult thing to go through, and different people manifest their fears differently. So our job is not to judge those fears or to dismiss them. Our job is to understand that cancer is a life-changing diagnosis for the vast majority of patients. My goal is to find ways to offer help and to relieve and alleviate those fears.

To learn more, speak with a radiation oncologist near you.