What Cancer Really Is (In Plain Language)
“Most of the cells in your body are constantly regenerating… with cancer, something has gone amiss with those signals, so cells that are dividing keep growing.”
In this chat, Dr. Shim breaks down the core idea behind cancer without the medical mumbo-jumbo. Think of your body as a city where cells normally regenerate to keep things fresh. When the “stop growing” signals misfire, bad cells keep multiplying and start doing damage. He emphasizes that cancers aren’t all the same—how aggressive they are often depends on the type and how advanced they are when discovered. A quick example: a skin cancer on your nose is usually spotted early, while the same cancer in the lung can be silent for a long time and already spread by the time you notice.
The Big Three (Surgery, Chemo, Radiation) and the Team Behind Them
“An oncologist is a physician who’s concerned with treating cancer… A radiation oncologist treats cancer with X-rays.”
There are three major ways cancer is treated, depending on the situation. Surgery for removing cancer, medical oncology (chemotherapy) to kill fast-dividing cells, and radiation oncology to target cancer with X-rays. Dr. Shim drills down on how each path works and when they’re used in combination.
Teams matter. He describes “tumor boards” and cross-discipline collaboration—surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists talking through the best plan for each patient. It’s all about tailoring treatment to where the cancer is, how big it is, and what other organs might be involved.
He also shares the everyday life of a radiation oncologist—outpatient days, the five-week treatment windows, and the reality that outcomes aren’t one-size-fits-all. Some people beat the disease; others live with it longer, and everything hinges on individual health, cancer type, and how well a person tolerates therapy.
“Radiation… you’re pointing it at a specific part of the body. The symptoms are more anatomy specific—bladder irritation if treating the prostate, for example, or trouble swallowing if it’s throat cancer.”
Cancer in Appalachia and Everyday Health Things
“The prevalence of smoking is really high in this area, and for that reason we have a lot of tobacco-related cancers… as well as obesity-related cancers like breast and endometrial cancer.”
Dr. Shim gives a snapshot of the regional reality—West Virginia’s health landscape isn’t just about code and clinics, it’s about lifestyle: higher smoking rates and obesity, and how those factors push certain cancers to the forefront (lung, throat, bladder, pancreatic, breast, colorectal). He explains screening and early detection tools (colorectal tests, mammograms, PSA for prostate, etc.) and how imaging like low-dose CT scans can catch lung cancers earlier when they’re more treatable. There’s also a practical note on cost and access, with a reminder that healthcare in the real world involves insurance hurdles, treatment costs, and the hard math of what patients pay out-of-pocket.
He doesn’t shy away from the human side either—sharing stories about patients who choose not to pursue treatment, the emotional ups and downs of outcomes, and the deep sense of responsibility doctors feel for every person who sits across from them.
“Take responsibility for your own health. Wear your seat belt. Don’t drink much. Don’t smoke. Watch your diet.”
If you want to hear more from Dr. Shim in his own words, with all the nuances and stories from a long career in radiation oncology, the full chat has the details, the jokes, and the real-life snapshots that this blog can only skim.
