Question: what is the most serious case you have ever dealt with since you have been a radio physicist?

Rob Brass answered on 13 Jun 2016:

It’s hard to say which cases are more serious than others, it’s unfortunately a fact that a fair proportion of our patients will die from their disease. There a few cases that have got to me more than others though, I’ll try and share a few without going into too much depth:

I’ll start with a happier story, we once had a patient for SRS (specialised brain radiotherapy – see my profile) that had already had lung radiotherapy, plus another 2 rounds of SRS, and he was cycling to and from his appointments and was otherwise healthy! (although probably shouldnt have been on the roads!) People like that can really motivate you because without treatment he probably wouldnt be around!

I have dealt with far sadder ones though. We had a lady in her late thirties for brain treatment who was a veterinary surgeon and played piano in concert, a very talented woman, unfortunately though she wasnt able to do either of these after treatment due to the effects of the tumour and side effects of treatment. She also had young children. The last I heard of her she had come back in for more treatment because the cancer had spread, which isnt good news, that one really got to me.

We’ve also treated children as young as 18 months old which is horrible.

Also, we often get ladies in the mid to late twenties in for cervical cancer, this gets to me a bit too as my wife is a similar age!

Soz for bumming everyone out but you did ask!