• Publications
• Experience
• About

Professional Focus

Dr. I-Chow (Joe) Hsu is an expert in brachytherapy, the treatment that involves placing radiation material directly into or near a tumor. Hsu specializes in the treatment of genitourinary, gynecological, head and neck and soft tissue tumors. He is interested in the development of minimally invasive implant procedures and precision delivery of conformal high dose rate brachytherapy and hyperthermia. He earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed a residency in radiation oncology at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.

Education

1987	University of Florida, Gainesville	BS	Biochemistry
1991	The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore	MD
1991-1992	San Bernardino County Medical Center, San Bernardino	Intern
1992-1995	Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York	Resident	Radiation Oncology
1994-1995	Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York	Chief Resident	Radiation Oncology

Professional Experience

2004-present	UCSF	Associate Clinical Professor
1998-2004	UCSF	Assistant Professor
1997-1998	UCSF	Assistant Clinical Professor
1995-1997	California Endocurietherapy Cancer Center, Oakland, CA	Radiation Oncologist

Awards & Honors

1988	Dean's Fund for Research
1989	The John Scott McFarland Fund for Research
1990	Dean's Fund for Research
1991	Accolade for Outstanding Intern
2006	Teacher of the year

Publications

Ingenito A., Ennis, R., Hsu, I-C., Begg, M., Benson, M., and Schiff, P. Reexamining the Role of Prostate Specific Antigen Density in Predicting Outcome for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer. Urology 50(1):  pp73-78, 1997.

Hsu, I-C., Pickett, B., Shinohara, K., Krieg, R., Roach, M., Phillips, T. Normal Tissue Dosimetric Comparison Between HDR Prostate Implant Boost and Conformal External Beam Radiotherapy Boost - Potential for Dose Escalation. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 46(4):851-858, 2000. (This manuscript is the first and only comparison showing the dosimetric advantage of brachytherapy compared with conformal therapy and was used to develop a RTOG clinical trial.)

Speight, J.L., Shinohara, K., Pickett, B., Weinberg, V.K., Hsu, I-C., Roach, M., Prostate Volume Change After Radioactive Seed Implantation:  Possible Benefit of Improved Dose Volume Histogram with Perioperative Steroid.  International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 48(5): 1461-1467, 2000.

Lee, N., Hoffman, R., Xia, P., Phillips, T., Ping, X., Quivey, J., Weinberg, V., Hsu, I-C. Managing Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma with Intracavitary Brachytherapy – One Instituion’s 45 Year Experience, Brachytherapy, 1, 74-82, 2002.

Hsu, I-C, Speight, J., Hai, J. Vigneault, E., Phillips, T., Pouliot, J. A Comparison of Brachytherapy Dosimetry Between Tandem and Ovoids and Interstitial Gynecological Template Using a Hypothetical Computer Model. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 52(2), 538-543, 2002. (This is the first of such comparisons using a computer model and illustrated the limitations of current brachytherapy systems and suggested improvements.)

Lachance B, Beliveau-Nadeau D, Lessard E, Chretien, M., Hsu, I-C., Pouliot, J., Beaulieu, L., Vigneault, E., Early clinical experience with anatomy-based inverse planning dose optimization for high-dose-rate boost of the prostate. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 54:86-100, 2002.

Lessard, E., Hsu, I-C., Pouliot J., Inverse Planning For Interstitial Gynecological Template Brachytherapy: Truly Anatomy Based Planning, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 54(4):1243-1251, 2002.

Charra-Brunaud, C., Hsu, I-C., Weinberg, V., Pouliot, J., Analysis of Interaction Between Number of Implant Catheters and Dose Volume Histograms in Prostate High Dose Rate Brachytherapy Using a Computer Model, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 56(2):586-591, 2003. (This is the first paper on this topic and it has established clinical guidelines.)

Langen, K, Pouliot, J., Anezinos, C., Aubin, M., Gottschalk, A.,. Hsu, I-C.,  Lowther, D.,  Lium, Y-M., Shinohara, K., Verhey, L., Weinberg, V., Roach III, M., Evaluation of Ultrasound-Based Prostate Localization for Image-Guided Radiotherapy. International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics V57(3):636-644, 2003.

Alterovitz, R., Pouliot, J., Taschereau, R., Hsu, I-C., Goldberg, K., Simulating Needle Insertion and Radioactive Seed Implantation for Prostate Brachytherapy, Stud Health Technol Inform. 94:19-25 2003.

Comparison of Inverse Planning Simulated Annealing and Geometrical Optimization for Prostate High Dose Rate Brachytherapy. Brachytherapy, 3(3):147-152, 2004. (This manuscript is the first comparison showing the dosimetric advantage of inverse planning for prostate brachytherapy. Others have subsequently documented the similar findings.)

Kim, Y., Hsu, I-C., Lassard, E., Vujic, J., Pouliot, J. Dosimetric Impact of Prostate Volume Change Between CT-Based HDR Brachytherapy Fractions, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics  59(4):1208-1216, 2004.Hsu, I-C., Lessard, E., Weinberg, V., Pouliot, J.

Pouliot, J., Kim, Y., Lessard, E., Hsu, I-C., Vigneron, D., Kurhanewicz, J., Inverse Planning for HDR Prostate brachytherapy used to Boost Dominant Intraprostatic Lesions Defined by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Imaging, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 59(4):1196-1207, 2004.

Taschereau, R., Stauffer, P., Hsu, I-C., Schlorff, J., Milligan, A., Pouliot, J., Radiation dosimetry of a conformal heat-brachytherapy applicator, Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment, 3(4): 347-358, 2004.

Kim, Y., Hsu I-C., Lessard, E., Vujic, J., Pouliot, J., Dosimetric Impact of Prostate Volume Change Between CT-based HDR Brachytherapy Fractions, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 59(4):1208-1216, 2004.

Kim, Y., Hsu, I-C., Lessard, E., Pouliot, J., Vujie, J., Dose Uncertainty Due to Computed Tomography (CT) Slice Thickness in CT-based High Dose Rate Brachytherapy of the Prostate Cancer, Med Phys. 31(9)2543-2548, 2004.

Alterovitz, R., Goldberg, K., Kurhanewicz, J., Pouliot, J., Hsu, I-C., Image Registration for Prostate MR Spectroscopy Using Biomechanical Modeling and Optimization of Force and Stiffness Parameters, Proceedings 26^th Annual International Conference IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 1722-1725, 2004

Hsu, I-C., Cabrera, AR., Weinberg, V., Speight, J., Gottschalk, AR., Roach, M., Shinohara, K. Combined Modality Treatment with High Dose Rate Brachytherapy Boost for Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer. , Brachytherapy, 4:202-206, 2005.

DeWitt, K., Hsu, I-C., Speight, J., Weinberg, V., Lessard, E., Pouliot, J., 3-D Inverse Treatment Planning for the Tandem and Ovoid Applicator in Cervical Cancer, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, 63:1270-1274, 2005.

Yongbok, K., Hsu, I-C., Pouliot, J., Moyher-Noworolski, S., Vigneron, D., Kurhanewicz, J., Expandable and Rigid Endorectal Coils for Prostate MRI:  Impact on Prostate Distortion and Image Registration, Medical physics 32(12):3669-78, 2005.

Alterovitz, R., Goldberg, K., Pouliot, J., Hsu, I-C., Kim, Y., Moyher-Nowolski, S., Kurhanewicz, J., Registration of MR Prostate Images with Biochemical Modeling and Nonlinear Parameter Estimation, Medical Phyicss, 33( 2):446-454, 2006.

Sumida I., Shiomi H., Yoshioka Y., Inoue T., Lessard E., Hsu I-C., Pouliot J., Optimization of Dose Distribution For HDR Brachytherapy of the Prostate Using Attraction-Repulsion Model, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics 64(2):643-649; 2006.

Alterovitz, R., Goldberg, K., Pouliot, J., Hsu, I-C., Kim, Y., Noworolski, S., Kurhanewicz, J., Registration of MR Prostate Images with Biomechanical Modeling and Nonlinear, Parameter Estimation, Medical Physics, 33(2):446-454, 2006.

Alterovitz, R., Lessard, E., Pouliot, J., Hsu, I-C., O'Brien, J., Goldberg, K., Optimization of HDR Brachytherapy Dose Distributions Using Linear Programming with Penalty Costs, Medical Physics, 33(11);4012-4019, 2006.

Schiffner, D., Gottschalk, A., Lometti, M., Aubin, M., Pouliot, J., Speight, J., Hsu, I-C., Shinohara, K.,Roach, M., Daily Electronic Portal Imaging of Implanted Gold Seed Fiducials in Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy After Radical Prostatectomy, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, 67:610-619, 2007.

Lee, B., Shinohara, K., Weinberg, V., Gottschalk, A., Pouliot, J., Roach, M., Hsu, I-C, High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy Salvage for Local Prostate Recurrence After Radiotherapy: The UCSF Experience, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, 67(4):1106-1112, 2007.

Kim, Y., Hsu, I-C., Pouliot, J.  Cranio-Caudal Catheter Displacement Between Fractions in CT-Based HDR Brachytherapy of Prostate Cancer, Journ. of Applied Clinical Med. Phys. 8 (4): 1-13; 2007.

Kubicky C., Yeh B., Lessard, E., Joe, B., Speight J., Pouliot J., Hsu, I-C., Inverse Planning for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-Based Intracavitary High Dose Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer: A Feasibility Study, In press, Brachytherapy.

Kim, Y., Hsu, I-C., Lessard, E., Kurhanewicz, J., Noworolski, S., Pouliot, J., Class Solution in Inverse Planned HDR Prostate Brachytherapy for Dose Escalation of DIL Defined by Combined MRI/MRSI, In press, Radiotherapy and Oncology

Chan, L., Xia, P., Gottschalk, A., Akazawa, M., Scala, M., Pickett, B., Hsu, I-C., Speight J. Roach, M., Proposed Rectal Dose Constraints for Patients Undergoing Definitive Whole Pelvis Radiation Therapy for Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer, In press, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics