10 Questions With Hematologist Medical Oncologist Dillon Cason, MD

A personal family experience with cancer led Dillon Cason, MD, to take an interest in oncology at a very young age. Dr. Cason’s interest has only expanded throughout his education and his career as a hematologist medical oncologist at Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute. He is especially excited about the potential of the vast number of clinical trials going on in immunotherapy and the idea that nontoxic immune system solutions will become prominent.    

Dr. Cason gives enormous amounts of credit to all the people in the multiple medical disciplines who contribute to the high-quality care at the Cancer Institute. Just like with the Eagles and the Phillies, he knows from experience, it takes every player to reach the intended goal. And he is grateful to all of them.

Read more about what led Dr. Cason to choose medicine and what motivates him in – and outside – of work.

My interest in medicine, and oncology specifically, likely stemmed from my mother passing from breast cancer in 1998. Growing up, I was always interested in what cancer was and why it happened to people, especially younger people. I learned that even when people do all the right things in life, they can still be dealt a bad hand. With that said, we have had – and continue to have – major breakthroughs and advances in both medical therapies and survivorship. That is what continues to inspire me.

My hope is that my patients and their families feel heard. Dealing with a cancer diagnosis is overwhelming and directly affects not just the patient, but everyone who cares about them. I want to make sure concerns and fears are talked about openly and honestly, no matter how large or small they may seem.

The best part of my job is working with a compassionate medical team and amazing patients who all share the same goal. The care we provide is impossible to deliver without our phenomenal support staff. Our nurses, pharmacists, medical assistants, social workers and schedulers (and everyone in between) help make – what at times seems insurmountable – much more digestible and possible.

Every major development in oncology is unearthed though clinical trials. Exploiting driver mutations with targeted therapies, engineering our own immune cells (CAR-T) and utilizing cancer vaccines to fight cancer have been impactful and exciting developments through recent research. My hope is that, through current and future clinical trials, we better understand the role our immune system plays in fighting cancer and reduce the use of more toxic treatments like chemotherapy in certain diseases.

I knew I wanted to be an oncologist at an early age. Before my mother unfortunately lost her fight with cancer, I wanted to be a paleontologist. I was the cliché little guy that loved dinosaurs and wanted to dig them all up. Retirement goals, I guess.

I share my love of Philadelphia sports with many of my patients. I cheer on, often to a fault, the Phillies, Eagles and the other Philly teams. My main passion outside of medicine is music. I try to listen to one new album each day, and I play a few instruments when time allows.

There are two major genres that I most enjoy: Americana/folk and black metal (to the surprise of many). Both genres are deeply in tune with nature and history, as well as introspection and loss. I love a song that tells a story and makes me think. If we ever cross paths, please share the music that recently touched you.

I am beyond lucky to have married my beautiful wife in South Korea. It was the first time I left the United States. Fortunately, she got me into traveling abroad since then. I always look forward to our next trip to Korea. I highly recommend going there to anyone.

“Dances With Wolves.” I am not a big movie guy, however that film really captured me. Filmed mostly in South Dakota, the landscapes and imagery are organic and raw. I love a good Western film!

My all-time favorite show is “Frasier.” I probably finish the entire series twice a year.