Endocrinologists, or hormone doctors, are on your lung cancer treatment team “if it's clinically appropriate for them to be a part of it,” says radiation oncologist Russell K. Hales, M.D. of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center on the Johns Hopkins Bayview campus.
Hales notes that “Endocrinologists often look at hormone levels, and we use their expertise in patients who have underlying endocrine problems. We ask endocrinologists to evaluate some patients right after their therapy, patients whom we feel may be at risk for endocrine problems due to their radiation, chemo, or surgery. In that way, we can help these patients avoid some long-term side effects or manage them better.”