EYE
A new wave of technology
and additional expertise are
giving radiation oncologists
more tools to fight tumors
OF THE STORM
Each year, several thousand cancer patients receive radiation therapy as part of their
care, and that number continues to grow. Radiation oncologists work with medical
oncologists, surgeons, and other caregivers in designing radiation therapy for a cancer
patient’s treatment plan.
T
he Scott & White Cancer
Institute and the Department of
Radiation Oncology are meeting
patients’ needs, by welcoming a new leader
and introducing new therapies to help
patients in Central Texas. Subhakar
Mutyala, MD, joins Scott & White Cancer
Institute as chairman of the Radiation
Oncology Department, coming from
Montefiore Medical Center in New York.
He has previously worked at the DanaFarber Cancer Institute in Boston,
Massachusetts, and at the Sylvester Cancer
Center in Miami, Florida. Dr. Mutyala sees
this as a homecoming, because he
graduated from Texas A&M Medical
School and has family throughout Central
Texas, including in Temple and Waco.
“We must improve the practice of
radiation oncology as the Scott & White
Cancer Institute moves forward,” says
Dr. Mutyala, referring to the Cancer
Institute’s increasing stature as a unique
presence in the national fight against cancer.
“Our goal is to offer the highest-quality of
care for the population of Central Texas.”
Radiation therapy is currently used to
treat patients with cancer and noncancerous
tumors. Seventy percent of cancer patients
will need radiation therapy as part of their
treatment, including those who have
cancers of the lung, breast, prostate, skin
and several other locations. Its application
is growing as advanced technology has
allowed radiation therapy to be used in
areas where radiation was previously viewed
as too difficult or too dangerous a therapy.
Using 3-D imaging and other sophisticated
techniques, radiation oncologists can target
the radiation to the tumor and decrease the
dose to the patient’s normal tissues and
decrease side effects. Because of the
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