From an interview with
Dr. Dioval Remonde
McLeod Radiation Oncology

Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, often abbreviated RT, RTx, or XRT, is a therapy using ionizing radiation, which is generally provided as part of cancer treatment to control or kill malignant cells. McLeod Radiation Oncologist Dr. Dioval Remonde explains how radiation has evolved into an effective tool in fighting breast cancer.

“A radiation oncologist is a physician who uses radiation beams or X-rays to deliver cancer treatment. We work in conjunction with medical oncologists as well as surgical oncologists to treat a wide variety of different types of cancers, including breast cancer.

Historically, the only treatment for breast cancer was to remove the entirety of the breast with a procedure called a total mastectomy. As time has passed, technology and surgical techniques have improved, and we have found that taking out just the tumor and delivering radiation afterwards to basically sterilize the area has the same effectiveness as a total mastectomy in terms of cancer treatment and preventing the cancer from coming back. This way, women are able to keep their breast while also not compromising their outcomes in terms of cancer care.

There have been numerous advancements in the treatment of breast cancer using radiation oncology, including our ability to deliver radiation where we need it to go and avoiding radiation where we don’t want it to go. Our ability to shape and mold radiation has improved drastically over the years. We also have various techniques that can help us spare certain body organs that don’t need radiation.

For example, we frequently use something in treating breast cancer called a deep inspiration breath hold, where the patient takes a deep breath in, which pushes the chest wall further away from the heart and enables us to spare the nearby heart tissue while administering radiation.

If breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body, we have specific types of treatments that can aleve symptoms and even eradicate tumor cells that are limited in certain areas of the body.

Teamwork among health care providers is extremely important. Cancer care is very complex and requires input from a multitude of different specialists. Radiation and other respective specialties are very nuanced, and it’s impossible to know everything in all the fields of study. We rely heavily on our colleagues to provide recommendations on different types of treatment options so that we can make the best choice for the patient.”

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