7 Brief Questions with Christopher Luminais Radiation Oncologists

Christopher Luminais, MD, is a radiation oncologist who is specialized in prostate cancer who treats and other genitouriner cancer.

He also examined treatments such as Brachytherapy Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and other sophisticated approaches to treat prostate cancer, such as intensity modulation radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

Meet Radiation Oncologists

We asked 7 brief questions to Luminais to get to know him better.

1. What is the most inspiring and forming your approach to patient care?

Connection. Every time we treat patients, we need to know them. Not only about their diagnosis and cancer and all the technical details that go up to go to treatment, but also: where do they live? What are they appreciating? What do they need from their care? What is appropriate for them in their lives today?

I think when we know a patient at that level, we can offer better care. I don’t just enjoy knowing patients well; I feel like knowing good patients helping us adjust treatment in a way that can help them produce better cancer results.

2. What is your favorite part of your job?

The diversity of what I have to do. A few days, I did procedures like Brachytherapy, where I was very directly in OR. Other days, I spent face -to -face time in the clinic, getting to know my patient very well. And then other parts of my job are more based on table work, where we do a lot of technical work to ensure that our treatment plans are equal and sophisticated. I really enjoy bouncing between the different training environment. I think they are all very important and useful in their own way, and I appreciate to do everything in a career.

3. What is your biggest fear as a patient?

That maybe we will not have a solution, that maybe there will be no treatment for anything we are there.

4. What do you do to get rid of stress?

I spent a lot of time making ceramic art. My wife and I am the same members in a community ceramic studio in Charlottesville. My wife really taught several classes there, so it was a fun hobby and relieve stress for me. I also like to spend time getting outdoors. Climbing, playing golf disk, things like that that make me outside is always fun and relieve stress for me.

5. Dogs or cats?

I am the owner of two proud cats. I like both, but I’m a cat now.

6. The last film you watch? Thumb up or down?

Original Die Hard Film. Must be a thumb!

7. The best advice you have ever heard of?

“Don’t Stop Listening” – I have the patient to tell me that. This is one of the patients that I met as a medical student for the third year. I spent a lot of time with him. He opened up to me about his experience with the medical system in general, with some success and some experiences that were not so successful for him.

I think drugs can be very complicated, with so many different tests and so many different specializations and so many different providers for one patient. This can feel like we get farsightedness and we only focus on this result or the results, but maybe we don’t listen to the big picture. I think if you listen well, your patient has many things to say and will always help you help them better.