Dao Vang

Argosy University
CT I
11.7.2013


Tumor Board #1


My first attendance to a tumor board was quite interesting. Its amazing to see the
amount of teamwork that is needed to treat a tumor. The patient endures through a lot of testing
in their road to recovery. Whats nice is that during the tumor board everyone gets to see
different aspects of each department that is involved. Once the patient has been presented, the
radiologist shows the scans performed in locating the tumor. They outline the tumor and
margins if necessary. Then, the pathologist shows the slides of the cultures that are performed in
order to determine the histology of the tumor. A plan of action is discussed and the cancer team
determines the route of action. They consult with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation
oncologists.
Depending on the diagnosis, different routes can be taken. A patient was presented with
localized prostate cancer. This was determined after a colonoscopy and biopsy of the tumor.
The patient opted to decline a prostatectomy and decided to go with just radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy was chosen over chemotherapy for a better local control versus treatment for a
systemic occurrence. Another case with a breast patient was presented. The diagnosis was
ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a common diagnosis for breast tumors. The patient decided to
have a lumpectomy, sparing as much breast as possible. Radiation therapy was the next route of
action to treat the tumor cavity. It was nice to see how these procedures are conducted and how
much work actually gets put in behind the scenes.