Opportunities in Oncology (Part 3): Getting Deep Into Patient Care with Mass General Brigham’s Head of Radiation Oncology

The first two episodes in this Healthcare is Hard podcast series
on “Opportunities in Oncology” explored the relationship between
academic medical centers and community care, with guests Dr.
Stephen Schleicher from Tennessee Oncology, and Dr. Harlan Levine
from City of Hope. For the third and final episode in the series,
Dr. Daphne Haas-Kogan joined Keith Figlioli for a conversation
that dives more deeply into patient care, innovations in care
delivery and the opportunities for entrepreneurs.


Dr. Haas-Kogan is Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology
at Mass General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and
Boston Children’s Hospital. She is also the Willem and Corrie
Hees Family Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical
School.


Dr. Haas-Kogan received her undergraduate degree in biochemistry
and molecular biology from Harvard University and her medical
degree at UCSF. She completed her residency in radiation oncology
at UCSF in 1997 and became vice-chair for research at UCSF in
2003, and educational program director in 2008. Dr. Haas-Kogan’s
laboratory research focuses on molecular underpinnings of brain
tumors and pediatric cancers. She leads large multi-institutional
initiatives funded by NIH/NCI, philanthropic organizations, and
industry collaborators.


For this episode of Healthcare is Hard, some of the topics Dr.
Haas-Kogan discussed with Keith include:



The collaborative approach to care. Dr. Haas-Kogan
talked about how most people with cancer struggle with many
other medical issues – some predating cancer diagnosis, some
precipitated by the treatment itself – and how several care
teams are required to treat the patient wholistically. She also
discussed how important it is for academic medical centers and
community hospitals to work together, the responsibilities each
holds to the patient, and the goal of making sure patients
receive the same exact care regardless of location.


The precision of radiation oncology. There are generally
three pillars of cancer treatment. The first is surgery to
remove tumors, the second is medication to kill cancer cells
with drugs, and the third is radiation therapy to destroy
cancer cells. Dr. Haas-Kogan described how radiation oncology
is, in many ways, a combination of surgical oncology and
medical oncology. It requires the precision of surgery –
especially when treating a tumor close to critical structures
like the brain stem or spinal cord – but can also be applied in
a single day or over the course of weeks, similar to
medication. She discussed how this allows for unique
collaboration between academic researchers and community
physicians, along with opportunities for creative workforce
solutions.


AI in oncology. The impact artificial intelligence has
already had on oncology would have been unimaginable five or 10
years ago, and Dr. Haas-Kogan says the opportunities for
entrepreneurs in the space are huge. As an example of the
impact AI has already made, she talked about how radiation
oncologists traditionally spend hours defining exactly what
they want treated and the dose of radiation required. But now,
AI is doing most of that, saving physicians precious time. She
talked about how medicine is an art and how treatment like this
is very nuanced, so she very often makes changes after
reviewing AI-generated recommendations. But she says
advancements are coming quickly.



To hear Dr. Haas-Kogan and Keith discuss these topics and more,
listen to this episode of Healthcare is Hard: A Podcast for
Insiders.