Melissa Mitchell MD

Department of Breast Radiation Oncology, Division of Radiation Oncology

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Mitchell treats all types of breast cancer and is interested in developing a tailored radiation approach for each patient based on stage and tumor biology. 

With an interest in treatment d e-escalation, Dr. Mitchell has performed funded research to assess whether radiosensitivity could be utilized for clinical decision making for adjuvant radiation in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ. 

Dr. Mitchell has developed a clinical trial to eliminate radiation as a component of treatment for early-stage patients with her-2 positive breast cancer who have an excellent response to treatment. 

She has also served as the principal investigator on a clinical trial of hypofractionation in locally advanced breast cancer, treating patients with radiation therapy at a reduced total dose and with shorter treatment time, in the hopes of reducing treatment-related toxicity, such as lymphedema. 

With a background in pharmacology, she also has an interest in combining new pharmaceutical agents with radiation in patients with more aggressive tumors that show evidence of radiation resistance. 

Furthermore, she is interested in patient quality of life and is working on developing a new validated tool to assess patient-reported toxicity in patients undergoing breast radiotherapy.