• Publications
• Experience
• About

Professional Focus

Dr. Larson is an internationally recognized authority on brain tumors and on central nervous system and body radiosurgery (Cyberknife and Gamma Knife), intensity modified radiotherapy (IMRT), and highly conformal radiotherapy (3D XRT). He holds a PhD degree in high energy physics from the University of Chicago and an MD degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine. He completed his medical internship at UCSF and his radiation oncology residency training at Harvard Medical School, where he also served as attending physician and instructor. Larson has been a member of the UCSF academic faculty since 1986, leading to joint professorial appointments in the Departments of Radiation Oncology and Neurosurgery. He has mentored virtually all UCSF Gamma Knife and Cyberknife physicians. He is currently Professor Emeritus and sees new patients in consultation on Mondays and Fridays. He encourages patients and referring physicians to contact him directly.

Larson lectures extensively and has authored more than 200 scientific papers, reviews, and book chapters. He was elected by his peers to the presidency of numerous professional societies, including the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO), the Northern California Radiation Oncology Society (NCROS), and the International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society (ISRS). He is the only physician who has served as an officer in both the Leksell Gamma Knife Society and the Cyberknife Society. In the early 1990’s he developed the first body radiosurgery program in the US and he led a Task Group of radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons, and physicists to define United States radiosurgery standards of care and quality assurance and manpower standards. In 2005 he was awarded the ISRS Jacob I. Fabrikant Award for longstanding and significant contributions to the field of radiosurgery. He has received awards from ASTRO, the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Whittaker Foundation, and the International Union Against Cancer (UICC). He is a Fellow in the American College of Radiation Oncolgy (FACRO), the American College of Radiology (FACR), and the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (FASTRO). He has organized numerous national and international conferences and symposia, including providing advanced specialty training and continuing medical education (CME) credits for thousands of physicians. He serves on the editorial board of numerous medical journals. He has been recognized as one of America’s top doctors every year since 1991.

Education

1965	University of California Berkeley	BA	Physics
1967	University of Chicago	ScM	Physics
1973	University of Chicago	PhD	Physics
1981	University of Miami	School of Medicine	MD
1981-1982	University of California San Francisco	Intern	Medicine
1982-1985	Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, Harvard Medical School	Resident	Radiation Oncology

Professional Experience

2007-Present	Washington Hospital Healthcare, Fremont	Co-director	Gamma Knife Program
2007-Present	UCSF	Professor Emeritus	Neurological Surgery
2007-Present	UCSF	Professor Emeritus	Radiation Oncology
1995-2007	UCSF	Professor in Residence	Neurological Surgery
1995-2007	UCSF	Professor in Residence	Radiation Oncology
1991-1995	UCD, Sacramento	Associate Professor in Residence	Radiation Oncology
1991-1995	UCSF	Associate Professor in Residence	Neurological Surgery
1989-1995	UCSF	Associate Professor in Residence	Radiation Oncology
1985-1989	UCSF	Assistant Professor in Residence	Radiation Oncology
1985	Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston	Attending Physician and Associate in Radiation	Radiation Therapy

Publications

Larson DA, Rubenstein JL, McDermott MW. Metastatic cancer to the brain. In: DeVita VT, Lawrence TS, and Rosenberg SA (eds.). Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 8^th edition, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2008.

Sahgal A, Larson DA, Chang EL. Stereotactic radiosurgery for spinal metastases: a critical review. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 71:652-665, 2008.

Kased N, Huang K, Nakamura JL, Sahgal A, Larson DA, McDermott MW, Sneed PK. Gamma Knife radiosurgery for brainstem metastases: the UCSF experience. J Neuro-Oncol 86:195-205, 2008.

Chuang C, Sahgal A, Lee L, Larson D, Huang K, Petti P, Verhey L, Ma L. Effects of residual target motion for image-tracked spine radiosurgery. Med Phys 34:4484-4490, 2007.

Sahgal A, Chou D, Ames C, Ma L, Lamborn K, Huang K, Chuang C, Aiken A, Petti P, Weinstein P, Larson D. Image-guided robotic radiosurgery for benign spinal tumors: the University of California San Francisco preliminary experience. Technol Cancer Res Treat 6:595-604, 2007.

Sahgal A, Chou D, Ames C, Ma L, Lamborn K, Huang K, Chuang C, Aiken A, Petti P, Weinstein P, Larson D. Image-guided robotic stereotactic body radiotherapy for benign spinal tumors: the University of California San Francisco preliminary experience. Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment 6:595-604, 2007.

Chen AM, Chang S, Pouliot J, Sneed PK, Prados MD, Lamborn KR, Malec MK, McDermott MW, Berger MS, Larson DA. Phase I trial of gross total resection, permanent Iodine -125 brachytherapy, and hyperfractionated radiotherapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. Int Jour Radiat Biol Phys 69:825-830, 2007.

Chuang C, Chan A, Larson D, Verhey L, McDermott M, Nelson S, Pirzkall A. Potential value of MR spectroscopic imaging for the radiosurgical management of patients with recurrent high-grade gliomas.  Technol Cancer Res Treat 6:375-382, 2007.

Chen AM, Chang S, Pouliot J, Sneed PK, Prados MD, Lamborn KR, Malec M, McDermott MW, Berger MS, Larson DA. Phase I trial of gross total resection, permanent iodine-125 brachytherapy, and hyperfractionated radiotherapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. Int J Radiat Onc Biol Phys 69:825-830, 2007.

Chen AM, Jahan TM, Jablons DM, Garcia J, Larson DA. Risk of cerebral metastases and neurological death after pathological complete response to neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer: clinical implications for the subsequent management of the brain. Cancer 109:1668-1675, 2007.

Ma L, Larson D, Petti P, Chuang C, Verhey L. Boosting central target dose by optimizing embedded dose hot spots for Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Sterotact Funct Neurosurg 85:259-263, 2007.

Petti PL, Coleman J, McDermott M, Smith V, Larson DA. Anatomic landmarks versus fiducials for volume-staged Gamma Knife radiosurgery for large arteriovenous malformations. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 67:1578-85, 2007.

Larson, DA. Toward an expanded view of radiosurgery. Neurosurgery Online 58: E590, 2006.

Dai CY, Nakamura JL, Haas-Kogan, Larson DA. Central Nervous System. In: Hansen EK and Roach MR, eds. Handbook of Evidence-based Radiation Oncology. New York, NY. Springer, 2006.

McDermott MW and Larson DA. Conformal radiation for benign intracranial tumors. In: McDermott MW and Larson DA (eds.). Conformal Radiation for Benign Intracranial Tumors: Radiobiology, Techniques, and Results. Neurosurg. Clin. N.A. 17:ix-x, 2006.

McDermott MW and Larson DA (eds.). Conformal Radiation for Benign Intracranial Tumors: Radiobiology, Techniques, and Results. Neurosurg. Clin. N.A., 2006.

Hansen EK, Larson DA, Aubin M, Chen J, Descovich M, Gillis AM, Morin O, Xia P, Pouliot J. Image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) using megavoltage cone-beam CT (MV-CBCT) for treatment of paraspinous tumors in the presence of orthopedic hardware. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 66:323-326, 2006.

Vagefi MR, Larson DA, Horton JC. Optic nerve sheath meningioma: visual improvement during radiation treatment. American Journal of Ophthalmology. Am J Ophthalmol 142:343-4, 2006.

Petti PL, Chuang CF, Smith V, Larson DA. Peripheral doses in CyberKnife radiosurgery. Medical Physics 33:1770-1779, 2006.

Potters L, Timmerman R, Larson D. Stereotactic radiation therapy. J Am Coll Radiol, 2: 676-680, 2005.

Butowski N, Prados MD, Lamborn KR, Larson DA, Sneed PK, Wara WM, Malec M, Rabbitt J, Page M, Chang SM. A phase II study of concurrent temozolomide and cis-retanoic acid with radiation for adult patients with newly diagnosed supratentorial glioblastoma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 61:1454-1459, 2005.

Larson DA, Suplica JM, Chang SM, Lamborn KR, McDermott MW, Sneed PK, Prados MD, Wara WM, Nicholas MK, Berger MS. Permanent iodine 125 brachytherapy in patients with progressive or recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. Neuro-oncol 2004;6(2):119-26.

Ware ML, Larson DA, Sneed PK, Wara WW, McDermott MW. Surgical resection and permanent brachytherapy for recurrent atypical and malignant meningioma. Neurosurgery 2004;54(1):55-63; discussion 63-4.

Pirzkall A, Li X, Oh J, Chang S, Berger MS, Larson DA, Verhey LJ, Dillon WP, Nelson SJ. 3D MRSI for resected high-grade gliomas before RT: tumor extent according to metabolic activity in relation to MRI. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2004;59(1):126-37.

Chang SM, Lamborn KR, Malec M, Larson D, Wara W, Sneed P, Rabbitt J, Page M, Nicholas MK, Prados MD. Phase II study of temozolomide and thalidomide with radiation therapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2004;60:353-7.

McDermott MW, Berger MS, Kunwar S, Parsa AT, Sneed PK, Larson DA. Stereotactic radiosurgery and interstitial brachytherapy for glial neoplasms [Review]. J Neurooncol 2004;69(1-3):83-100.

Chan AA, Lau A, Pirzkall A, Chang SM, Verhey LJ, Larson D, McDermott MW, Dillon WP, Nelson SJ. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging in the evaluation of patients undergoing gamma knife surgery for Grade IV glioma. J Neurosurg 2004;101(3):467-75.

Potters L, Steinberg M, Rose C, Timmerman R, Ryu S, Hevezi JM, Welsh J, Mehta M, Larson DA, Janjan NA. American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology; American College of Radiology. American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology and American College of Radiology practice guideline for the performance of stereotactic body radiation therapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2004;60(4):1026-32.

Smyth MD, Sneed PK, Ciricillo SF, Edwards MS, Wara WM, Larson DA, Lawton MT, Gutin PH, McDermott MW. Stereotactic radiosurgery for pediatric intracranial arteriovenous malformations: the University of California at San Francisco experience. J Neurosurg 2002;97(1):48-55.

Larson DA, Prados M, Lamborn KR, Smith V, Sneed PK, Chang S, Nicholas KM, Wara WM, Devriendt D, Kunwar S, Berger M, McDermott MW. Phase II study of high central dose gamma knife radiosurgery and marimastat in patients with recurrent malignant glioma. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2002;54(5):1397-404.

Pirzkall A, Nelson SJ, McKnight TR, Takahashi MM, Li X, Graves EE, Verhey LJ, Wara WW, Larson DA, Sneed PK. Metabolic imaging of low-grade gliomas with three-dimensional magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 53(5):1254-64, 2002.

Barker FG 2nd, Chang SM, Larson DA, Sneed PK, Wara WM, Wilson CB, Prados MD. Age and radiation response in glioblastoma multiforme. Neurosurgery, 49(6):1288-97, discussion 1297-8, 2001.

Barker FG 2nd, Simmons ML, Chang SM, Prados MD, Larson DA, Sneed PK, Wara WM, Berger MS, Chen P, Israel MA, Aldape KD. EGFR overexpression and radiation response in glioblastoma multiforme. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 51(2):410-8, 2001.

Goodman KA, Sneed PK, McDermott MW, Shiau CY, Lamborn KR, Chang S, Park E, Wara WM, Larson DA. Relationship between pattern of enhancement and local control of brain metastases after radiosurgery. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 50(1):139-46, 2001.

Hoffman R, Sneed PK, McDermott MW, Chang S, Lamborn KR, Park E, Wara WM, Larson DA. Radiosurgery for brain metastases from primary lung cancer. Radiosurgery for brain metastases from primary lung carcinoma. Cancer J, 7(2):121-31, 2001.

Pirzkall A, McKnight TR, Graves EE, Carol MP, Sneed PK, Wara WW, Nelson SJ, Verhey LJ, Larson DA. MR-spectroscopy guided target delineation for high-grade gliomas. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 50(4):915-28, 2001.

Prados MD, Wara WM, Sneed PK, McDermott M, Chang SM, Rabbitt J, Page M, Malec M, Davis RL, Gutin PH, Lamborn K, Wilson CB, Phillips TL, Larson DA. Phase III trial of accelerated hyperfractionation with or without difluromethylornithine (DFMO) versus standard fractionated radiotherapy with or without DFMO for newly diagnosed patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys, 49(1):71-7, 2001.

Graves EE, Nelson SJ, Vigneron DB, Chin C, Verhey L, McDermott M, Larson D, Sneed PK, Chang S, Prados MD, Lamborn K, Dillon WP. A preliminary study of the prognostic value of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging in gamma knife radiosurgery of recurrent malignant gliomas. Neurosurgery, 46(2):319-26, discussion 326-8, 2000.

Ojemann SG, Sneed PK, Larson DA, Gutin PH, Berger MS, Verhey L, Smith V, Petti P, Wara W, Park E, McDermott MW. Radiosurgery for malignant meningioma: results in 22 patients. J Neurosurg, 93 Suppl 3:62-7, 2000.