About Us

The Department of Radiation Oncology at UC Irvine School of Medicine provides high-quality, compassionate care to those diagnosed with cancer who require radiation treatment as part of the course of their clinical management. The department is committed to advancing clinical care, education and research. 

Team members are highly-qualified radiation oncologists, radiation biologists, medical physicists, nurses, dosimetrists, radiation therapists, medical assistants and social workers. They are certified in their respective specialties and actively involved in national organizations that develop standards of care in their areas of expertise.

Available Technologies

State-of-the-art technologies used for the planning and delivery of radiation treatment include image-based computerized treatment planning systems, CT-simulator, Trilogy™ linear accelerator with RapidArc™ software and high dose rate brachytherapy (HDR). In addition, access to various imaging facilities (MRI, PET-CT, etc.) in the medical center is readily available.

Modalities used in the department include image-guided, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IGRT & IMRT) and HDR. The latter is used for the treatment of gynecologic malignancies, partial breast irradiation, soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities and other sites requiring brachytherapy. The department also offers treatment with radioactive microspheres for the management of liver tumors.

Educational Programs

Educational programs include residency training in radiation oncology and medical physics. The former is accredited by the ACGME and the latter is accredited by CAMPEP (Commission on Accreditation of Medical Physics Education Programs). There are also opportunities for medical students to rotate through the department to gain experience in the specialty.

Research Programs

An active extramurally funded research program is carried out by the radiation biology faculty. This focuses on low dose/low dose rate effects, radiation effects in space, oxidative stress and related topics. Another research area of interest is the use of stem cell transplantation to treat radiation injury to normal tissue. Current focus is on cognitive impairment as a result of brain irradiation.

Clinical and physics faculty carry out research directed towards improvement of the precision of the planning and delivery of treatment to optimize efficacy. The department is an associate member of the Radiation Therapy and Oncology Group (RTOG). It also contributes to other clinical study groups such as GOG, COG, SWOG, etc. It is accredited by the Radiological Physics Center (RPC) of the MD Anderson Cancer Center to accrue patients on clinical studies incorporating IMRT as part of the treatment regimen.