Download Radiation Oncology Newsletter March 2014

Radiation Oncology
March 2014
Volume 1, Issue 3
TrueBeamTM STx Now at USC
O
n January 13, 2014, the USC Department of Radiation Oncology
treated our first patient with our new TrueBeamTM STx linear
accelerator. We are absolutely thrilled to now have this powerful
treatment device available for the care of our patients.
Besides serving as an excellent tool for standard radiotherapy
treatments, the STx allows us to deliver stereotactic radiosurgery
(SRS) for treatments of the brain, and stereotactic body radiotherapy
Chair’s Corner
I am excited to share with you
some terrific advancements
happening in our continued
transformation of the Keck
School of Medicine (KSOM) of
USC Department of Radiation
Eric L. Chang, M.D.
Oncology. As we continue to
Professor and Chair USC
Department of
see double-digit growth in our
Radiation Oncology
patient volumes, we are hard at
work to further bolster our ability to deliver on our
patient care, education and research missions.
On the patient care front, we are thrilled to begin
utilizing our new TrueBeamTM STx linear accelerator,
and newly renovated HDR brachytherapy suite,
both detailed herein. Having these tools available,
combined with our Gamma Knife®, CyberKnife®
and TrilogyTM Linear Accelerator, provides USC
oncologists and referring physicians in the
community unparalleled access to cutting-edge
treatment modalities that can be best tailored to
the unique treatment needs of their patients.
(SBRT) also known as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR)
for treatments of the spine and the rest of the body with
unprecedented speed and accuracy. A complete radiosurgery
treatment can be performed in a shortened amount of time on
the STx, leaving less time for tumor and patient movement during
dose delivery.
We also achieved a major milestone in our residency
program, receiving the maximum allowed accreditation
offered by the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education based on a July 2013 site visit.
The TrueBeamTM STx’s enhanced real-time imaging tools allow our multidisciplinary oncology team to see the tumor they are
about to treat and visualize it throughout the course of treatment. Since beam delivery is synchronized with tumor motion
during respiration, complex cases such as those in the lung, upper abdomen and the breast can be treated while minimizing the
dose to the surrounding healthy tissue and critical organs.
Along with the TrueBeamTM STx, we are implementing Brainlab iPlan© treatment planning and ExacTrac© room-based , real-time
X-ray imaging technology, which can be performed during actual treatment delivery.
Combining the flexibility the TrueBeamTM STx offers with our Varian TrilogyTM Linear Accelerator, our CyberKnife®, our
GammaKnife® and our new HDR brachytherapy suite, we now offer oncologists the ability to choose the best treatment platform
for each clinical scenario.
For referrals, call (323) 865-3050
For more information visit cancer.KeckMedicine.org/referradonc
Radiation Oncology Breast
Cancer Symposium
O
n January 25, 2014, the Department of Radiation Oncology and USC
Office of Continuing Medical Education held a tremendously successful,
first-of-its-kind, USC Radiation Oncology Breast Cancer Symposium. The
program reviewed the current state-of-the-art in breast cancer management,
highlighting key components of multidisciplinary treatment, including
surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and radiology. Keynote
speakers included Jay Harris,
MD, professor and chief,
Department of Radiation
Oncology, Harvard Medical
School, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute, Brigham and
Women’s Hospital, as well as
Lori Pierce, MD, vice provost
and professor of Radiation
Oncology, University of
Michigan School of Medicine.
The symposium involved a
large audience in the Aresty
Auditorium at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and feedback on
the quality of the presentations has been very positive. We look forward to
hosting similar events in the future.
Physician Faculty
Eric L. Chang, MD
CNS, Gamma Knife, CyberKnife
Leslie Ballas, MD
GU, Lymphoma, Melanoma
Eugene Chung, MD, PhD, JD
Thoracic, Breast
Richard L.S. Jennelle, MD
Residency Director, Head & Neck
and other specialties
Michael Senikowich, MD
Gyn, brachy and other specialties,
LAC+USC based
Suisui Song, MD
Gyn, GI, Sarcoma
Nicholas Trakul, MD, PhD
Head & Neck, Thoracic, SBRT, CNS
Physics Faculty
Almon Shiu, PhD
Vice Chair, Chief of Physics
Hyman Bernstein, PhD
LAC+USC
Residency Full Accreditation
Guoqiang Cui, PhD
USC Norris Cancer Hospital
SC Radiation Oncology achieved a major milestone in the continued
transformation of our residency training program – receiving 10–year
accreditation by the ACGME in their NEXT Accreditation System, the
maximum permited.
Jonathan Kin Ha, PhD
LAC+USC
U
Training the next generation of radiation oncologists is a major
component of our tripartite mission. We strive to provide
the best training environment for our residents, preparing
them for outstanding careers in academic or community
practice. Receiving this accreditation is a testament to the
considerable work we have done to enhance the program
over the past two years.
A special thank you goes out to Richard Jennelle, MD, our
Residency Program director, for his unwavering dedication to
bettering the program.
For referrals, call (323) 865-3050
For more information visit cancer.KeckMedicine.org/referradonc
Arthur Olch, PhD
CHLA
Sue Zhou, MS
USC Norris Cancer Hospital
Audrey Zhuang, PhD
LAC+USC
Radiobiology Faculty
Colin Hill, PhD
Charles Gomer, PhD
Promotion of Rosemary Sambrano, RTT
W
e are pleased to announce the promotion of Rosemary Sambrano, RTT, to
supervising radiation therapy technologist in the Department of Radiation Oncology
at LAC+USC Medical Center.
Ms. Sambrano has been with the LAC+USC Medical Center for 16 years, most recently serving
as acting supervising radiation therapy technologist. Ms. Sambrano brings a wealth of
experience to her new permanent role. She is knowledgeable, highly skilled, reliable, and a
caring professional. Please join us in congratulating Ms. Sambrano on her promotion.
HDR Brachytherapy
W
e are excited to announce that the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is about to begin offering highdose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy as a treatment option for patients. We have completed renovations on our
brachytherapy vault, and we now have a new Varian Varisource HDR afterloader unit onsite for the care of our patients.
Unlike low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy where seeds are implanted and left in the patient, the HDR procedure
involves attaching or embedding an intense source of radiation into a temporary applicator and then delivering that
Ir-192 radioactive source via a computer-controlled afterloader, letting it dwell temporarily in the tumor for three
to 10 minutes before it is retracted back into the afterloader. For some types of tumors, treating the patient with
HDR brachytherapy allows a patient to be seen in five to 10 visits, rather than the 30-45 visits required with typical
radiation. Initial uses of our system will be for breast, GU and gynecologic oncology patients, with plans to expand
the applications to sarcoma, skin cancer, recurrent head and neck cancer, endobronchial lesions in lung cancer and
endoluminal cases of esophageal cancer and bile duct cancer.
Recent Publications
1. G
hia AJ, Chang EL, Allen PK, Mahajan A, Penas-Prado M, McCutcheon IE, Brown PD. Intracranial
hemangiopericytoma: patterns of failure and the role of radiation therapy. Neurosurgery. 2013 Oct;73(4):624-30;
discussion 630-1. doi: 10.1227/NEU.0000000000000064.
2. W
ang X, Yang JN, Li X, Tailor R, Vassilliev O, Brown P, Rhines L, Chang E. Effect of spine hardware on small spinal
stereotactic radiosurgery dosimetry. Phys Med Biol. 2013 Oct; 58(19):6733-47. Doi:10.1088/0031-9155/58/19/6733.
Epub 2013 Sep 9
© 2014 Keck Medicine of USC
3. V
erma J, Jonasch E, Allen PK, Weinberg JS, Tannir N, Chang EL, Mahajan A. The impact of tyrosine kinase
inhibitors on the multimodality treatment of brain metastases from renal cell carcinoma. Am J Clin Oncol. 2013
Dec;36(6):620-4. doi: 10.1097/COC.0b013e31825d59db.
For referrals, please call (323) 865-3050. For questions on topics covered here or for any other USC Radiation Oncology
inquiries, please feel free to contact Nikos Carli, Senior Clinical Administrator, at [email protected]
Department of Radiation Oncology
Keck School of Medicine of USC
USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
1441 Eastlake Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90033-0804
For referrals, please call (323) 865-3050