Sarah Henretta/Dr. Cristofanilli - Week 7

This week I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Newman, a breast surgeon, and continue working with Dr. Ng, a radiation oncologist. It was very interesting to see the differences between the three different “pillars” of oncology. Dr. Newman spoke very technically with her patients. She usually explained to the patients where she would place her incisions and what possibilities they would have for reconstruction. She also had many in depth conversation about whether a lumpectomy or mastectomy would be best for the patient and how it would affect the patient’s treatment moving forward. This was my second week working with Dr. Ng. He works with patients who have breast cancer and patients who have pancreatic cancer, so it was interesting to see the difference between the two cancers. Coming from an engineering background, I found the physics behind planning the radiation treatments fascinating. 

I also continued working with Dr. Cristofanilli in his clinic. Generally, the patients see Dr. Cristofanilli before each medical treatment. This means that I usually saw the same patients every week, two weeks, or three weeks during this summer. This provides the doctors, and to an extent me, the opportunity to follow patient’s disease progression and response to treatments, as well as build relationships with them. One patient came in to see Dr. Cristofanilli the first week I began working with him for a new patient consult. They were a unique case because the cancer was not detected until it had spread throughout her body to the point where she was in the ICU on the verge of intubation. The medical team still does not understand why the cancer spread like it did and at the speed that it did. However, over the course of these seven weeks, Dr. Cristofanilli treated them and monitored them. This past week, using a special blood test, Dr. Cristofanilli was able to tell the patient that there was no tumor DNA detected in her blood. This was a very emotional visit, as the patient truly made remarkable steps towards getting better in a relatively short time period. 

Since I spent most of my time this week in the clinic, I focused less on my research project. However, I started the documentation process to make sure the transition is smooth when I leave. I also completed my presentation for the end-of-immersion presentation that I will be giving this Tuesday.

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