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.