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APRIL/MAY 2016 91 Radiolo Aociates of Macon 770 Pine Street, Ste. 290 478.751.5872 (office) | 478.719.7597 (cell) ramacon.com Where will Radiology be in five years? Dr. Benshoff: In five years, I believe radiology will be a more precise and exact science. For the diagnosis of breast cancer, breast tomosynthesis, or 3-D mammography, will likely be the standard of care and widely available for routine screening mammography. Tomosynthesis generates mammographic image slices through breast tissue, thus decreasing the overlap of normal structures that now confounds the interpretation of mammograms. Studies have shown an improved rate of cancer detection with tomosynthesis, as well as a decrease in the number of patients needing to return for additional studies. What do you love about Radiology? Dr. Collings: Radiology touches upon virtually every field of medicine and therefore it is never boring. As your doctor's consultant, we have the opportunity to interact with surgeons and medical doctors of all specialties including oncology, neurology and neurosurgery, sports medicine, gastroenterology and trauma, to name a few. The tools and technology we use daily are fascinating, ever changing and improving. MRI, CT, and PET scanners allow us to diagnose disease at an earlier more treatable stage. Most important to me are the interactions with patients in my role as a breast disease imaging and intervention specialist. Diagnosing breast cancer at an earlier stage, or giving someone the news that the breast lump they feel is only a benign cyst, is priceless. The look of relief on a patient's face brings joy to my heart and makes this job so worth it! Describe your typical work day. Dr. Sklyarevskaya: My alarm buzzes at 4:45 AM, and I'm on the treadmill by 5:00 to arrive at the hospital at 7:30, sometimes earlier if I have a tumor board conference. As the eyes and ears of medicine, radiologists balance our days between interpreting diagnostic images, dictating reports for your physicians and consulting with physicians about our observations. Since Radiology Associates reads over 95% of Macon's diagnostics, my day is spent in front of a computer, exploring a wide range of images, from x-rays, which take only minutes to review, to intricately layered images with contrasts, taking 30 minutes or more to interpret. My work day is supposed to be over at 5:00 PM if I'm not on call, but it rarely ends on time. After I leave the hospital my second shift starts, because after work I'm a daughter, mother, and a wife. Central Georgia Radiation Oncolo 800 First Street | 478.743.3466 centralgeorgiaradiation.com Where will Radiation Oncology be in five years? Dr. Wobeck: In the last two years, the ability to hyper- focus radiation treatments in 4 dimensions, has allowed us to deliver higher doses directly to the actual tumor with very limited damage to surrounding tissues or organs. I believe technology will continue to advance the precision of radiation treatments so that fewer cancer treatments will be required, delivering better outcomes with less side effects. Central Georgia Radiation Oncology's team was recently certified as an Optune treatment site to treat adult patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a form of brain cancer. Optune is a portable, battery-operated medical device that connects to the scalp and creates an electric field around the tumor to disrupt the growth and reproduction of cancer cells in the brain. As technologies like these emerge, radiation oncology will be even more multidisciplinary, with increasingly accurate agility to treat most tumor sites. (Left to right): Ericha Benshoff, M.D. - Diagnostic Radiologist with fellowship in CT, Carol Collings, M.D. - Diagnostic Radiologist, Tatiana Sklyarevskaya, M.D. - Diagnostic Radiologist with Emphasis in Abdominal Imaging, MRI and UltraSound, Linda Wobeck, M.D. - Radiation Oncologist. SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION *** *** Women In Business