Stat discusses fade out of radiation from cancer care

[DebtRising]

Radiation, a mainstay of cancer treatment, begins a fade-out

“There are situations now on an individual patient basis where radiation may not be needed.”

www.statnews.com

If this is nestled somewhere else can delete this thread. Stat is a good hub for information and the article in question highlights how radiation is becoming a smaller and smaller part of cancer care, and therefore service to society. Less treatments, more precise, all great things for patients.

All of this points to the absolute ridiculous residency expansion and then maintenance of said expansion as pure greed by academic centers, which we have been highlighting for years with no response.

It's so obvious at this point even non-germane health care publications notice, but our leaders do not. How does this lead to a competent and motivated work force? How does this support a career for more than 5 years? Why did I join this field, to pad someone else's retirement? How can ASTRO work on a payment model in secret for years and put a full court press for that, and be silent on residency? How can SCAROP members sleep at night knowing they are training record to near record numbers of compassionate humans for a profession so clearly shrinking even those outside the field notice?

That's all such a melodramatic paragraph but I remain flabbergasted and depressed at how little regard my own field seems to have for its own.

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[RickyScott]

I still dont understand retracting the line:

"But, that role will be smaller, Recht said. "To me that is a good thing, because I already got my kids through college."

It perfectly captures the zeitgeist with a bit of humor. The article was released several days before LUMINA and could not be more timely. We can all criticize LUMINA (rightfully), but it is very reasonable and technologically achievable that early stage breast pts who wouldnt benefit from XRT can be selected out within the next 10 years. There are posters who make it out like this is some sort of mathematical impossibility. We arent setting out to develop quantum computing or AI. Omission is very much in the cards and we all know it, just like we all know how greedy and self interested SCAROP and ASTRO leadership has become. Michalski just added a residency position for good measure.

 

[DebtRising]

I did not see that line in the article. Is that authentic?

 

[RickyScott]

I did not see that line in the article. Is that authentic?

yes, simul emailed the author and recht to retract that line

 

[DebtRising]

???

They retracted a line from a senior academic who has been involved in residency expansion that shrinking radiation is good because he already got his reward and who cares about the next generation?

What?

 

[RickyScott]

https://x.com/angrchen/status/1691544668549574656?s=46&t=bNjInwwyz2DPnd4UFJOtbg

I don’t think recht has anything to do with expansion or involved with the terribly greedy astro leadership for that matter. He was just making an offcolor joke that perfectly captured the moment.

 

[deleted1111261]

I didn’t ask him to retract

Just told him to consider how those words would make people feel

 

[DebtRising]

https://x.com/angrchen/status/1691544668549574656?s=46&t=bNjInwwyz2DPnd4UFJOtbg

I don’t think recht has anything to do with expansion or involved with the terribly greedy astro leadership for that matter. He was just making an offcolor joke that perfectly captured the moment.

Thanks for the info! What a wild case of stating the obvious out loud.

You are correct I don’t know if he was directly involved in expansion decisions or not. But I’d be curious how many times he goes uncovered by a resident complement to do his notes, contours, and phone calls. My tertiary understanding is not many and correct me if I am wrong. I can then retract my statement 😆.

Must be quite a duality to oversee that with the knowledge that said residents have yet to put their own kids though college. But maybe those residents are just greedy for wanting kids in first place, after all. That’s not owed to them.

 

[Fpg1245]

Thanks for the info! What a wild case of stating the obvious out loud.

You are correct I don’t know if he was directly involved in expansion decisions or not. But I’d be curious how many times he goes uncovered by a resident complement to do his notes, contours, and phone calls. My tertiary understanding is not many and correct me if I am wrong. I can then retract my statement 😆.

Must be quite a duality to oversee that with the knowledge that said residents have yet to put their own kids though college. But maybe those residents are just greedy for wanting kids in first place, after all. That’s not owed to them.

That’s why I always had a problem with the self serving narcissism of these academic physician who proudly claim “you’re owed nothing” and the proceed to bitch about resident coverage.

 

[elementaryschooleconomics]

There's a lot of...stuff...evolving from this article.

I suspect (well, I'm hopeful) that just like the 2018 Board Debacle flipped med student perception of RadOnc, this 2023 STAT article flips which narrative is considered "delusional fiction".

As in, are the concerns expressed on SDN "real", or is the "internet misanthropes canceling Chairs are liars, this is fine" narrative "real".

Something tells me that most outsiders, capable of doing basic math, at least enough to get jobs as journalists, can add up 2+2 and understand that doubling residency spots while focusing trials on omission/reduction of radiation isn't a balanced equation.

Something. Tells me.