Dr. Irfan Bashir

Patients with many types of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, brain, cervical, head, neck and lymphoma may be treated by radiation oncologists for their cancer. Some radiation oncologists may also treat certain non-cancerous conditions, for example, benign tumors of the brain or keloids, etc.

Radiation oncologists plan and deliver radiation therapy for patients based on their specific type of disease and clinical situation. Radiation therapy approaches include External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), IMRT, IGRT, Stereotactic Radiotherapy (SRT), Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), Proton Therapy, and Brachytherapy.

You would see a radiation oncologist if your primary cancer care team recommends radiation therapy as a part of your treatment plan. You could potentially need radiation therapy before or after surgery for your cancer or in combination with chemotherapy, or as palliative care to manage symptoms.

Yes. A radiation oncologist will carefully plan your treatment to minimise the risk and side effects of the radiation therapy. With the modern techniques we use today, our radiation therapy is more focused on reducing damage to healthy tissue.

• Radiation oncologist: They treat cancer using radiation.
• Medical oncologist: They treat cancer using medication like chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy
• Surgical oncologist: They treat cancer by surgically removing the tumor or area of concern.