Radiation Oncology
Radiation Oncology at UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital offers a wide variety of cancer treatment options in a patient-centered healing environment. We focus on you so you can focus on getting well.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is often the first line of attack to kill cancer cells. In fact, doctors treat half of all cancers with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy can be used before surgery to shrink a tumor, after surgery to prevent cancer cell growth, or in combination with chemotherapy to help eradicate cancer cells.
Our Varian ClinaciX electron linear accelerator is used to deliver targeted radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). It is equipped with Millennium multileaf collimation and digital portal imaging. The MIMVista deformable contouring software allows for multimodality imaging integration to improve image registration for more accurate results. The software contouring tools and registration capabilities enable us to quickly accommodate changes in target geometry. The treatment preplanning software allows radiation oncologists to provide advanced treatment planning tailored to and custom designed for each individual’s anatomy and the day-to-day physiological anatomy variations, achieving the most precise treatment possible.
We also offer:
IMRT – Intensity-modulated radiation therapy is an advanced mode of high-precision conformal radiotherapy that utilizes sophisticated treatment planning programs to deliver precise radiation doses to a cancer tumor while limiting doses to adjacent normal tissues.
Advanced Imaging Simulation and Therapy Planning – Advanced IMRT/3D treatment planning systems can integrate multiple sources of imaging information, achieving the most precise treatments possible.
Orthovoltage Radiotherapy – a valuable painless treatment option for nonmelanoma skin cancers. The X-rays are strong enough to kill cancer cells but do not penetrate deep below the skin’s surface. It is an effective treatment for basil and squamous cell carcinomas in sensitive facial areas such as eyelids or ears, while maintaining an excellent cosmetic outcome.
Radioactive Iodine – using Iodine 125 radiation treatments, we are able to treat thyroid cancers, destroying the cancer from inside the thyroid gland. It is a safe treatment as the ingested radioiodine is trapped by the thyroid gland. With the short half-life of eight days, it is a safe and useful treatment for hyperthyroidism andPatient Safety
Each patient is assigned a unique bar code to ensure patient safety used to alert us when you arrive and to verify treatment plan accuracy. We also have translator phones available and interpreter services on site, and a part-time Chinese interpreter is on staff to help to with new patient consultations.
