Radiation Oncology

iTransfer
Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:38:46 +0000

Cancer will never be cured. It is a process of evolution of the cells in our body. Mutations happen in our DNA everyday from sunlight, radiation, viruses, mutagenic chemicals, and even our DNA replication makes its own mistakes. If the gene that the mutation effects is one that regulates the cell cycle and gives the cell the ability to prevent apoptosis (death of the cell) or proliferate quickier then that cell will become cancerous. You can’t really stop cancer from happening. The longer you live the more likely you will have it.

Infectious diseases however can be prevented and cured through vaccination and better sanitation. Cancer on the other hand will never be cured. Honestly the only way to cure cancer is to go into your body and kill every individual cancerous cell. I doubt we will have the technology to do that anytime soon. The only thing we can do is to tell people to have limited exposure to the sun and stay away from mutagenic chemicals (like cigarettes).

The question to be asked is not whether or not cancer will be cured but will radiation be the best treatment for cancer in the future? As of now it, I think it is the most effective treatment. I doubt we will find any better anytime soon.

Radiation oncology is safe. I think you should be questioning the future of anesthesia (due to CRNA) and radiology (outsourcing) .

Radiation oncology is difficult to match though. I wouldn’t go to med school dead on with just one specialty. The amount of radonc residencies is small and the people who apply are superstars. You need high step 1/AOA/honors 3rd year/lots of publications.