While there is a team of people who are tasked with diagnosing or evaluating your cancer , it’s our core group of oncologists who creates your cure. Recently in a young patient from the pacific islands off the coast of australia with cancer in both her breasts , it was the biopsy that found the cancer, Medical oncologist from the group made sure her initially inoperable disease was amenable to surgery breast and oncoplastic team took out the cancer, and fixed her body up from where the remaining cancer cells were there. — and the radiation oncologist made sure even if one cancer cell was left behind , it died a swift death, then developed a plan post-treatment that would reduce the chances it would make another appearance.

I was precise, my words deliberate. I used technical terms when we needed to and explain the process step-by-step. When I sense a total brain overload, I say : “That’s enough for today. Take some time, digest what we just went over, and I’ll see you tomorrow or when u feel like it soon.” It was the first appointment that she had been to where her doctor had taken her fragile state into account. She was thankful and acknowledging in her next visit.

Together, my patient and I tackled her breast cancer with a strong cocktail of chemotherapy. I was scientific about her treatment. “When you complete these 12 cycles, your cancer will be gone,” that was my job after all — to get rid of the cancer.

I was less enthusiastic when she brought alternative therapies into the picture. I remained skeptical when she told me she would be using Ayurvedic supplements. My response wasn’t dismissive but skeptical. When she told me about some of the herbs and supplements she had been prescribed by her alternative medicine guy, I told her, “They won’t work. Medicine works.”