Proposed:
The supply of radiation oncologists, and ostensibly therefore its "intellectual capital," has been on a significant upswing for 10+ years. What hath that wrought? The only innovation (not protons... they're 30+ years old now) we've
truly seen is in the shrinkage of treatments. Thus causing a shrinkage in reimbursements. Thus causing a shrinkage in daily case loads. Thus causing the "small field" of radiation oncology to downsize its overall "global self"—even as the number of rad onc humans grew—in the eyes of patients and referring physicians. Don't misunderstand: not downsizing in a bad way per se. But downsizing in an impactful/importance/"high stakes" fashion: six weeks of breast radiotherapy seems scary and a slog. But 6 weeks it was, 6 weeks it would always be, and that was the only option. Any other option was anathema. Then came "innovation." Ponder it from afar... to laypersons (patients and non-rad onc MDs) 6+ weeks sounds more complex and requires more hand-holding and more of a polymathic captain than a much simpler-sounding 5 treatments only. Radiation oncology seemed to be accomplishing more and to possess more cachet when it was an even smaller field. Exclusivity and a "black box" can be its own protection. To quote Zietman: "
We have hitched our wagon to a modality rather than an anatomic site; this puts us at considerable risk for future irrelevance." Have we not increasingly but perhaps unwittingly downsized the modality the last decade?
Discuss.