Jeremy Brownstein, MD

About Me

I am a radiation oncologist who specializes in treating patients with thoracic malignancies like lung cancer, mesothelioma and thymoma/thymic carcinoma. I am particularly interested in the applications of particle therapy to the treatment of these diseases and solid tumors in general. As opposed to photon radiation, particle therapy allows us to effectively treat cancers while exposing nearby critical organs to less radiation. This is because, unlike X-rays that largely pass through the body, protons can stop within the tumor we are targeting, thus eliminating "exit dose.”

Although particle therapy has many advantages, it also has increased uncertainty. As The James builds a state-of-the-art proton center over the coming years, I plan to utilize my education in physics, research in proton physics and experience in the clinical applications of proton radiotherapy to help develop a framework that supports safe and effective treatment.

I am also interested in the application of radiation therapy to care for benign conditions. For example, I am working to develop a program that utilizes highly focused radiation to treat deadly cardiac arrhythmias that are refractory to both medications and conventional ablations techniques.

As a major academic medical center, many James cancer patients are referred from other institutions due to their rare diagnoses, very advanced disease or complicated medical history. Fortunately, The James thoracic oncology team is well equipped to assist in these difficult situations. Many of my patients have advanced lung cancer that would ordinarily be treated with concurrent chemotherapy and radiation but are unable to tolerate chemotherapy due to other medical problems. In these cases, I have been developing techniques with image-guided hypofractionated radiation therapy that allow me to safely intensify their radiation treatment to assure that they can still receive an aggressive curative treatment. Additionally, the thoracic oncology group at The James has a wide variety of clinical trials that are available, allowing our patients to be on the forefront of cancer treatment.

I believe that a well-informed patient is a critical component to fighting cancer. I find that when I invest time educating my patients and carefully explaining their diagnosis, their workup and the rationale for our treatment recommendations, they actually become a member of the treatment team and make insightful decisions about their care. Additionally, when patients understand why their team has made specific decision (i.e., why surgery may not be indicated in their case) and when they know what to expect, they feel more confident that their treatment team has considered all aspects of their care. Such an approach is emphasized at The James, where patients have numerous means of learning about their disease, including a nursing culture that emphasizes education, patience and compassion.

Procedures and Conditions I Treat

• Lung Cancers
• Hairy Cell Leukemia
• Multiple Myeloma
• Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive
• Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Lymphomas
• Acute Myeloid Leukemias
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemias
• Radiation Oncology
• Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma
• Sarcoma
• Mesothelioma
• Thymoma
• Myelodysplastic Syndromes
• Thoracic Diseases

Reviews

The overall patient satisfaction rating is an average of all patient responses to the six doctor communication related questions shown below from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. For additional information about the patient satisfaction survey, please visit our Patient Satisfaction Survey page.

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