Radiation Oncology

Radiation Oncology Medical Resident Training Program

Additional Programs Available

• Radiation Oncology Physics - Major areas for physics research include developing novel technology for image-guided and adaptive radiation therapy, analyzing IGRT data for better treatment strategies, improving 4D/gating methods to manage respiration motion during treatment in thorax, abdomen and breast, integrating dose-response outcome into treatment planning optimization, using functional imaging (MRI and PET) for treatment planning, and developing MRI and CT guided brachytherapy.
• Radiation Biology - Laboratory research programs in radiation biology include radiation induced normal tissue damages and the mitigation of these damages, electron spin resonance and radiation chemistry, predictive assays of cellular response and tumor and normal tissue effects of combined drugs with radiation with the focus being on radiation-induced normal tissue injury and the mitigation and treatment of these injuries.

Conferences

• Case Conferences - Case conferences are held on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. Residents are responsible for choosing conference topics, presenting patients, and leading discussions regarding the epidemiology, presentation, workup and treatment of various malignancies. Attending faculty participate as moderators of these discussions.
• Tumor Boards - Residents are expected to participate in multidisciplinary tumor boards held at the various sites. The multidisciplinary approach to the tumor boards promotes active discussion of the management of patients currently receiving treatment. Modalities participating in the tumor boards include radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgical oncology, pathology, and radiology. Tumor boards are scheduled on a weekly or biweekly basis.
• Grand Rounds - The Radiation Oncology Grand Rounds Research Conference are weekly didactic lectures that focus on reviews of current treatment options of various malignancies and novel research data and concepts as well as topics that focus on radiation biology and physics. These conferences are held weekly from September through June.
• Medical Statistics - A medical statistics course is held every other year consisting of several topics presented through weekly lectures.

Treatment Techniques

• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) (CT on rails, MV cone beam CT, TomoTherapy, MVCT)
• 4D/gating
• Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) with linac and TomoTherapy
• Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
• 3T MR simulations
• HDR and LDR brachytherapy
• Total body irradiation
• Stereotactic radiosurgery with Gamma Knife