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Gender:

Male

Primary Hospital Affiliation:

Rhode Island Hospital

Also Associated With:

The Miriam Hospital

Specialty:

Radiation Oncology

Education:

Residency: New England Medical Center/Tufts University

Medical School: University of Vermont College of Medicine

Background

Thomas DiPetrillo, MD, is clinical director of radiation oncology at Rhode Island Hospital. He is a leading authority on a variety of radiation treatments for cancer, including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy.

DiPetrillo is a pioneer in the use of IMRT, a non-invasive procedure that allows physicians to pinpoint delivery of radiation therapy, resulting in better tumor control with less toxicity. He is also an expert in the use of HDR brachytherapy, a treatment that involves the use of a robotic arm to deliver a radioactive "seed" to a tumor. HDR brachytherapy is considered a versatile option in the treatment of cancer, as it can be used for almost any cancer at any stage, with patients treated on an outpatient basis. In 2003, DiPetrillo combined the use of HDR brachytherapy with another treatment, radiofrequency ablation, to treat a recurrent lung cancer in a 70-year-old man. This combination treatment is now being studied in a national multi-site trial led by Rhode Island Hospital.

DiPetrillo is also an associate professor at Brown Medical School in Providence, RI, and an adjunct assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He has served on national committees and research groups, including the National Cancer Institute/Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Guidelines Committee; the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Thoracic Subcommittee; Cancer and Lymphoma Group B; and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group.

More about radiation oncology