Valley Oncologist Leads American Society for Radiation Oncology

By Andrew Bernier
Published: Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - 3:10pm
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Photo Courtesy of Martha Sharan - News Generation
Dr. David Beyer, President-Elect, American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)

The Valley is becoming a central player in national cancer research. Organizations such as the Mayo Clinic, TGen and the University of Arizona are continuously researching methods to eradicate cancer.

Now, the American Society for Radiation Oncology will be led by Scottsdale doctor David Beyer. This weekend, he’ll be presiding over the group’s national meeting where more than eleven thousand oncologists will share research and practices. Dr. Beyer describes some of the new ideas leading into the meeting.

“We combine surgery and chemotherapy radiation in different ways, depending where the cancer is," Beyer said. "But what we’re learning is that some of these cancers that look the same actually are not on the inside, and so when you start looking at some of the molecular markers the cancer responds better to this and not that.”

The meeting aims to share new techniques including high-dose radiation therapy, reducing swelling from breast cancer radiation and improving quality of life for oncology patients.

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