Meet Dr. Aria Kieft, Radiation Oncologist with the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Central Michigan

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It is a return of sorts to Mount Pleasant for Dr. Aria Kieft.

Born and raised in Spring Lake, Dr. Kieft would frequently visit Mount Pleasant for choral festivals with her choir teacher month.

And before she earned her earned her medical degree from Wayne State University, she spent four years at nearby Hope College working her way to her bachelor’s degree.

Now a radiation oncologist, Dr. Kieft is making her home in Mount Pleasant and expanding the areas cancer fighting capabilities by joining the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Central Michigan.

Meet Dr. Kieft.

What made you choose medicine as a profession?

Growing up, I always enjoyed teaching and learning. I think medicine is the perfect combination of both. As a doctor I get to learn from every patient, and I also get to teach patients about their amazing, strong, and resilient bodies.

Why cancer treatment and radiation oncology in particular?

In my undergraduate training, I took a course on the biology of cancer and was fascinated by the complexity of the diseases that fall under the cancer classification and the opportunity to help people through the sometime-scary process of cancer treatment.

Making one part of this process less scary for patients through education, understanding, and empathy is incredibly rewarding. As I was completing medical school, I sought out experiences with the different modalities of cancer treatment and radiation oncology was where I was happiest. I get to practice as part of a multidisciplinary team using a wide variety of technologies while also helping patients learn about radiation as an effective treatment.

What was special to you about the Karmanos Cancer Institute?

Karmanos Cancer Institute demonstrates a true dedication to keeping the patient at the center of treatment decisions. In addition, as part of the Karmanos team, our patients have access to disease site experts throughout the system and the latest technologies in radiation oncology.

What made you choose McLaren Central as a place of work?

Being born, raised, and trained in Michigan, this state is special and I love living here. Mount Pleasant is a community that I remember fondly from my visits as a kid as well as being very conveniently close to my family. The facility is lovely and the physician group supporting me at the Mount Pleasant site are excellent and welcoming.

What technology do you have at the radiation facility at the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Central Michigan?

We have a Varian TrueBeam machine with IMRT, Rapid ARC, (VMAT), SRS, and SBRT capabilities ECLIPS planning system with all the bells and whistles to optimize the patient experience and ensure efficacy of our treatments.

Can you explain the radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiation?

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation (SBRT) are ways of delivering radiation in such a precise way to tumors visualized on imaging like MRI and CT scans that we can deliver large doses of radiation with minimal side effects by precisely delivering radiation to the tumor only.

The benefit of large doses to the tumor is improved cancer killing and, because we are highly accurate, the healthy tissue surrounding the tumor is avoided.

What types of cancer can be treated with this technology?

While the most common types of cancers treated with this technology are tumors arising from the lung and brain, it can be used for tumors arising from many other parts of body, as well as for metastatic cancers.

Tell us about the cancer program and the multidisciplinary cancer clinics and care team discussion you have for treating patients.

Medicine, and cancer care in particular, should always be a team endeavor.

As a radiation oncologist, I relish the opportunity to work with physicians from many other specialties, including primary care, medical oncology, and surgery. With broad expertise and a commitment to excellence by all members, multidisciplinary cancer clinics can center the patient by empowering them with the knowledge of treatment options they need to make the decisions that are best for them. The other disciplines that make cancer care possible, such as nursing, dosimetry, physics, and radiation therapy are the heart and soul of the radiation clinics, and I can't wait to work with them.