Department of Radiation
Oncology
Department of Radiation
Oncology
Sibley Memorial Hospital
5255 Loughboro Road N.W.
Washington, D.C 20016
Tel: (202) 537- 4787
Fax: (202) 537- 4964
 |
About The Department |
|
About Irene Gage, M.D. |
|
About Gregory S. Sibley, M.D |
|
Specific
Cancer Sites About Breast Cancer |
|
National
Breast Cancer Prevention Trials
|
|
About Sibley Hospital (Map, Directory, etc.) |
The mission of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Sibley Memorial Hospital is to combine the excellent cancer care found in academic centers with the comfortable environment in one of the finest hospitals in the Washington, D.C. area.
To accomplish this goal, Dr. Gage, Dr. Katz and Dr. Sibley have been recruited from the faculties at Johns Hopkins Hospital M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Duke University Medical Center, respectively. They bring experience with the latest treatment techniques and a wealth of knowledge, treating a wide range of cancers. They have published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, creating over 75 published manuscripts and abstracts between them.
The department has the latest technology and a new Cancer Center on the Sibley Memorial Hospital campus which opened in November 2002. A state of the art planning system offers Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) in addition to 3-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy (3DCRT). The system, called ADAC, allows the input of spiral CT scan images and MRI images with 3D reconstruction of the organs of interest and tumor volumes. The physician, dosimetrist, and physicist are then able to visualize the tumor in relation to the normal structures and choose beam orientations and shapes, maximizing treatment of the tumor, while minimizing effects to normal tissues. Although this type of planning is labor intensive, it has been shown to improve tumor control and lower toxicity.
Equally important as the planning software, is the knowledge and expertise of the staff in using the system and implementing treatment plans. Dr. Sibley is a nationally recognized expert in three-dimensional technology. Dr. Sonya Cong, PhD is a highly experienced physicist with extensive experience in the latest technology, including IMRT. In addition, Jordie Keck MS is a master's level physicist on full-time staff at Sibley with many years experience in prostate brachytherapy as well as IMRT and 3DCRT experience. Our dosimetrist, Patricia Walters, has practiced in the Washington, D.C. area for over ten years and performs most of the 3DCRT planning with the physicians. As a group, they bring experience with all facets of radiation oncology practice, including IMRT, three-dimensional radiotherapy, prostate seed brachytherapy, and radiation safety.
The department also has a group of experienced therapists, many of whom have worked at Sibley Hospital for over ten years. The therapy staff, lead by the Chief Therapist John Arbogast, is dedicated and highly experienced. Sibley Hospital is one of only a few institutions that has remained fully staffed and has not relied on temporary therapists. All of our therapists are board certified and take a personal pride in delivering compassionate and precise care to our patients. We have a dedicated registered nurse, Elizabeth Martin who works closely with the physicians in the clinical aspect of the treatment. We receive almost daily compliments on our therapy staff as evidenced by the near constant supply of cards, flowers, and baked goods in the department.
To implement the complicated treatment plans, a state-of-the-art simulator by Oldelft-Nucletron was added to our department in February 2000. The most advanced simulator available, it has fully digital imaging capabilities with direct computer links to the treatment planning system and to the linear accelerators. This simulator has built-in CT scanning capability, that gives our dosimetrist direct planning information without the need to perform an additional CT scan. This CT scan extension also makes things such as plaster contours out dated. This advance is particularly applicable to the treatment of breast cancer patients, where the precise knowledge of the position of the lung and heart are essential, as well as to the treatment of abdominal tumors, where the positions of the liver and kidneys in relation to the tumor are important.
It is our belief that state-of-the-art radiation therapy requires linear accelerators with both electron beam and high-energy x-ray capabilities. High energy x-rays are important when treating tumors in the center of the body such as prostate cancer, esophageal cancer, abdominal cancers, and lung cancers. High energy x-rays are also important when treating large breasted women with breast cancer. In all these situations, the amount of x-ray energy deposited on the skin compared to the tumor volume is much less with high energy x-rays, which in turn makes the skin reaction less. Electron beam irradiation is commonly used when limited penetration of the x-ray beams is desired, such as when treating skin cancer, delivering boost therapy for breast cancer or head and neck cancer. All these treatments are currently available. Both of our linear accelerators are digital machines with multileaf collimators. These linear accelerators were installed in the Fall 2002 and represent the current state-of -the-art. A multileaf collimator is an apparatus in the head of the treatment machine with thin leaves, that automatically extends or retracts to shape the beam . This has replaced the current procedure of manually inserting heavy lead blocks, used to shape the beam in a very similar manner.
Dr. Gage manages the Radiation Oncology department, works directly with cancer patients to plan their specific treatment programs, and played a central role in establishing a comprehensive Breast Center at Sibley.
Most recently, Dr Gage was an Assistant Professor of Oncology at The John Hopkins School of Medicine, as well as a staff physician at The John Hopkins Breast Center. She was a member of the oncology staff at the John Hopkins Hospital. Prior to Hopkins, Dr Irene Gage was a faculty member at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard University School of Medicine. From 1993-1994, Dr. Gage was a clinical breast cancer fellow at Harvard,.where she provided consultative services in breast cancer at the Dana Farber Center Institute and Beth Israel Hospital.
Dr.
Gage received her M.D. degree in 1988 from the Boston University. Her internship
at Framingham Union Hospital was followed by a residency in radiation oncology
at Tufts New England Medical Center. She is board certified by the American
Board of Radiology in Radiation Oncology.
Dr Gage has published many articles
on breast cancer and
its management in peer reviewed journals. In her own words, "The Breast
Center gives me an opportunity to use my training, research, and experience
in the treatment of breast cancer to make positive things happen for Sibley
patients. I want to make Sibley Hospital a place where women receive individualized
and thoughtful treatment that takes into account what is best for each person.
Sibley patients will benefit from the state-of-the- art radiation treatment
equipment, and a staff who maintain a standard of excellence that I admire."
Dr.
Gage's Curriculum Vitae
| Back to Top. |
Dr. Sibley
has extensive expertise in the area of three-dimensional radiotherapy treatment
planning for many cancer sites including lung cancer, prostate cancer, head
and neck cancer, and CNS malignancies. He also has an interest in brachytherapy
and runs the prostate seed implant program at Sibley.
Most recently, Dr. Sibley was an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. During his four years on faculty at Duke, he distinguished himself with research and publications in three-dimensional treatment planning and intrathoracic malignancies. His particular interest is in using the advances in technology to minimize radiation effects to normal tissues, while improving tumor targeting. He also has extensive experience in combined modality approaches to head and neck cancer, lung cancer, and gastrointestinal malignancies.
Dr. Sibley received his M.D degree in 1990 from the University of Michigan. His transitional internship at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor was followed by a residency in Radiation and Cellular Oncology at the University of Chicago. He was awarded a fellowship from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in 1995 for research in virally delivered gene therapy. He is board certified by the American Board of Radiology in Radiation Oncology
| Back to Top |
At Sibley Hospital, breast cancer has been the most frequently diagnosed and treated malignancy in the last five years. One woman in eight in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer. In 1998, more than 43,500 women in the U.S died from the disease, but there is good news. The most recent data show that mortality rates continue to decline in Caucasian women and are also declining in younger African American women. These decreases are generally attributed to earlier detection and improvements in treatment.
It is
generally understood that the effects of breast cancer vary from woman to woman,
depending on factors that include age, lifestyle, and family history. Breast
cancer treatment, therefore, requires comprehensive management of the disease.
The Breast Center at Sibley.
Sibley Hospital has established a Breast Center to build on the extensive diagnostic, treatment, rehabilitative, and support services already offered to breast cancer patients. The Breast Center provides education and prevention programs.
Each Breast
Center patient benefits from multidisciplinary approach to care and a range
of services that includes dedicated breast imaging, surgery, radiation therapy,
medical oncology, nursing, physical therapy, and emotional support. Breast
Center staff will also provide information about the disease and about the most
effective treatment options for each woman. To make access to services more
convenient, diagnostic testing will be available at one location at Sibley.
Early detection makes a difference. There are three important steps a woman can take to increase her chance of detecting breast cancer in its earliest , and most curable, stage:
1. Annual or semi-annual breast examinations by a physician.
2. Monthly breast self examinations.
3. A screening mammogram by age 40, a mammogram every one to two years up to age 50, and every year after age 50 for asymptomatic women.
4. It
is imperative that mammograms be done by dedicated imagers.
Treatment
planning for Breast Cancer.
Planning is one of the most important aspects of radiation treatment for breast
cancer. Using sophisticated three-dimensional computer imaging, each patient's
tumor is evaluated on the basis of size, location, the body habitus, beam energy,
and organ tolerance. This computer aided planning process allows better visualization
of the tumor and permits radiation to be delivered to precise locations of the
body, sparing normal tissues and insuring more effective treatment.
| Back to Top. |
This site is designed and maintained by Gregory Sibley, M.D. and was last updated on 9/15/02. Contact webmaster at: contact@sibleyradonc.com.
