It's common for our patients to be surprised when their care plan includes two cancer doctors instead of one. You might wonder why this is happening or worry that it means your plan has changed. Most of the time, having two specialists is a positive sign because your care team is making sure each part of your treatment is handled by the right expert. Knowing what each doctor does can help make the first few weeks easier.
Our medical oncologist uses medications like chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy to treat cancer throughout the body. They keep an eye on your bloodwork and scans, choose your treatments, and help you manage side effects, which is why many of our patients think of them as their main doctor. Our radiation oncologists treat cancer by aiming high-energy beams at a specific area. They spend a lot of time carefully mapping the tumor on your scans to make sure the radiation targets the cancer while protecting nearby healthy tissue.
Since these treatments work in different ways, many of our patients see both doctors. Radiation focuses on cancer in one spot, while medication can reach cancer cells that may have spread. For example, after surgery for early-stage breast cancer, one of our patients might get radiation to lower the chance of cancer coming back in the breast, along with medication to protect the rest of the body. While some of our patients only need one type of treatment, at NYCBS both kinds of specialists work together to create your care plan.
Medical oncology appointments usually happen every few weeks and start with bloodwork, followed by a talk with your doctor about how you're feeling and any side effects. If you get treatment through an IV, called an infusion, it can take less than an hour or up to a few hours. Radiation appointments are more frequent, usually on weekdays for several days or weeks, and are much quicker, often 15 to 30 minutes from arrival to leaving. The actual radiation takes a few minutes and doesn't hurt, similar to having an X-ray.
Some common myths can make things more confusing. Many people think radiation is only used for late-stage cancer, but the truth is radiation is often part of the plan from the beginning and can even be the main treatment for some early-stage cancers. Some believe chemo always comes first; however, some of our patients start with surgery or radiation, and others get newer treatments like immunotherapy instead of traditional chemo. Every plan is different because it depends on each person and their type of cancer, so your treatment may not look like someone else's.
Medical and radiation oncology are not in competition. They are both part of the same team, each handling a different part of your treatment and making changes as they see how your body responds. If you have appointments with both, it means your care is being looked at from all sides. Whether your plan includes one specialist or both, our team at NYCBS is ready to help at a location near you.