Since joining Radiation Oncology Associates in 2014 a practice founded in 1983 by my mentor, Dr. Charles Mendenhall – I have had the opportunity to serve alongside Dr. William Jay McAfee, our director and guiding visionary. Our department is integrated within Tower I of Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, where we play an essential role in the comprehensive delivery of cancer care to the Albany, Ga. community and beyond. As a board member of Georgia CORE, as well as Horizons Community Solutions (formally known as the Southwest Georgia Cancer Coalition), I have a pretty keen insider’s view not only of cancer care delivery in our region, but also of the transformative evolution occurring within radiation oncology.
As a basic principle of the delivery of ionizing radiation therapy, treatment is most commonly delivered externally. Patients are immobilized, and a variety of particles such as photons, electrons, protons, and even carbon and neutrons are delivered with precision, typically with real-time image guidance, to a tumor and surrounding areas of risk. Our training equips us to master the natural history, patterns of dissemination, and staging of diverse malignancies, enabling us to counsel patients, prescribe and oversee radiotherapy, monitor oncologic response, and mitigate treatment-related morbidity.
Radiation therapy can be delivered as an adjunct or as a complement to surgery, or definitively as the sole driver of curative therapy. It can be delivered in consolidation or strictly in palliation, depending on the goal of treatment. It is frequently combined with radiosensitizing chemotherapy or other agents to enhance the therapeutic ratio.
During my residency, conventional fractionation over protracted courses was the standard paradigm, rooted in historical concerns for normal-tissue tolerance. Technological leaps, however, have enabled highly conformal dose escalation with millimeter precision, validated through prospective clinical trials. Consequently, modern regimens are dramatically hypofractionated often delivered in a fraction of the sessions required historically – while preserving or improving efficacy and tolerability. This shift toward personalized, abbreviated courses has markedly enhanced patient experience and outcomes over the past decade.
Perhaps most exciting has been the rise of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy over the last fifteen years. Utilizing contemporary linear accelerators including TomoTherapy which we employ in Albany we can now deliver ablative doses to oligometastatic or primary tumors in the lung, liver, brain, kidney, soft tissue, and bone with millimeter accuracy, typically in one to two weeks. This capability is gratifying both clinically and professionally.
Complementing external beam approaches, brachytherapy internal or interstitial/intracavitary source placement remains indispensable for curative intent in cervical, endometrial, vaginal, and prostate malignancies. At Phoebe Putney, we maintain robust expertise in brachytherapy and serve as a regional referral center, collaborating closely with partners to ensure seamless access.
The population of Albany is approximately 70,000, while Dougherty County has approximately 85,000 residents. We not only manage patients locally, but also serve the greater surrounding region. In terms of meeting the need, our patients truly travel from “all over, many traveling more than 60 miles for treatment. Phoebe Putney’s steadfast commitment to technological currency timely hardware and software upgrades combined with comprehensive supportive services (social work, nutrition, rehabilitation, and patient navigation) enables us to address each individuals barriers to treatment. The Phoebe Foundation further augments our mission by supporting survivorship programming, wellness initiatives, and transportation needs.
Albany retains a rare, small-town authenticity: children still ride bicycles freely through neighborhoods, afternoons are spent shooting hoops or swimming. Community spirit manifests in volunteer-driven events like our Dixie Youth Baseball league serving nearly 300 children annually. For my wife Hailey and I, the brevity of any commute never more than ten minutes and the warmth of neighbors who readily lend a hand have made Albany a wonderful place to raise and grow our family.
Working as a physician in Albany is truly the definition of being part of your community. My patients are my neighbors, church members, and friends. I am convinced this deep connectedness is a powerful antidote to the national epidemic of burnout in medicine, fostering professional longevity and personal fulfillment. In Albany, we have the privilege of taking a greater part in our patients care. We are often a physician team that follows patients “forever.” In my first year with the practice, Dr. Mendenhall introduced me to patients whom he treated in the 1980s. We continue this tradition today, with annual surveillance visits that reaffirm long-term bonds.
Our field has come a long way, and in my view, unequivocally for the better. At Phoebe Putney, we are grateful to be equipped to deliver genuine, state-of-the-art care to cancer patients throughout southwest Georgia.
Adam Jones, MD
Dr. Jones is a Medical Oncologist and Chair of Georgia Lung Cancer Roundtable. Dr. Jones joined Radiation Oncology Associates (ROA) in 2014 and is the leading physician advocate for Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital’s Lung Watch Cancer Screening Program and chair of the Georgia Lung Cancer Roundtable. He serves on the steering team of the Georgia Cancer Consortium and as a Georgia facilitator for ongoing American Cancer Society sponsored Lung Cancer ECHO Model™ that places emphasis on biomarker testing (a pilot program currently in Georgia, Kentucky and Mississippi only).
