Type of Cancer
Breast
UCSF offers several treatment options for breast cancer patients. Traditional external beam radiation therapy is the first line treatment for most types of breast cancer radiation.
 Your personalized care begins with your physician consultation. This visit takes one to two hours to complete. At that visit, your doctor will perform a comprehensive medical examination and take your medical history. She will discuss the best treatment options for your breast cancer. You will have ample time to discuss your treatment plan and your alternatives. Your treatment plan will be devised based on your stage, aggressiveness of your tumor and lymph node status, utilizing the most current research data available. All measures are taken to protect the unaffected tissues near your treatment field (heart and lungs). A plan tailored for your body will be created just for you. Once your treatment begins, you will see your doctor weekly. The main side effects for breast radiation include skin changes and fatigue. Your radiation oncology team members (physician, resident physician, nurses, nurse practitioner Miranda Kramer, RN, MS and radiation therapists) are available to help you through your treatment and answer any questions that may come up during your care.
Many other services are available to the patients receiving care at UCSF. These services include movement classes, art therapy, educational lectures and nutrition counseling. Most services are provided free of charge. Please ask about our services! We are happy to be involved in your care!
Download our patient information pamphlets here:
Head & Neck
UCSF offers comprehensive treatment for cancers of the head and neck. We understand the nature of this disease and the special issues the head and neck cancer patients face.
At your first consultation visit, you will meet with your radiation oncologist. This appointment will take approximately one to two hours. A comprehensive medical examination and medical history will be taken. At that appointment, your physician may additionally perform an examination using a fiberoptic scope to examine the area inside of your nasal passages to your throat. This is done using a small amount of a local numbing medication so that it is more comfortable. Most patients tolerate this very well. You will also meet other members of your radiation oncology team such as your resident physician or the Head and Neck Nurse, Joyce Tang, RN, BSN.
Before you start your treatment, it is important to know if you will need to be seen in our Oral Medicine Clinic. Good oral hygiene is important before you start radiation treatments. This appointment is like going to a specialized dentist. Depending on where your radiation treatment will be directed, sometimes the oral medicine physician will prescribe fluoride treatments (mouth rinses) or advise of other care needed (like dental cleaning, extraction of decayed teeth, etc.). The most common side effects of head and neck radiation treatment include dry mouth (xerostomia) and skin changes (redness or tanning) in the treatment area.
Your physician will create a radiation treatment plan that is just for you. The latest research data is applied to creating a cutting edge, tailored plan in your care. During your planning session, a plastic mask may be created. This is utilized to help in your positioning and remind you to stay still during the actual treatment. It is made of a light-weight, mesh plastic material. Once you start your treatment, you will see you physician weekly. However, you radiation oncology team members are available daily to help you through your care should you have any questions (resident physician, nurses, and radiation therapists).
Many other services are available to the patients receiving care at UCSF. These services include movement classes, art therapy, educational lectures, support groups, social workers and nutrition counseling. Most services are provided free of charge. Please ask about our services! We are happy to be involved in your care!
Prostate
UCSF is a world leader in research and care of prostate cancer patients. Our approach in care delivery is multimodality and a team-based approach. There are many treatment options available in prostate cancer care. Your radiation oncologist will help you decide which treatment strategy is best for your stage of disease. UCSF Radiation Oncology offers traditional external beam radiation therapy (intensity modulated radiation therapy or IMRT), high dose brachytherapy (via temporary tube placement), via permanent radiation implants (radiation seeds), and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT or Cyberknife®). Depending on your individual situation, a combination of these therapies may be utilized. Routinely image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) is used to treat prostate cancer patients both with an intact prostate gland and after radical prostatectomy. IGRT can be done with daily electronic portal imaging device (EPID) and /or megavoltage cone beam CT scan (MVCBCT).
At your initial consultation visit, you will meet your radiation oncologist. He will perform a comprehensive physical examination and take your medical history. Based on the information about your prostate cancer, he will discuss the best treatment options for you and your alternatives. There will be ample time for you to discuss your options. We understand that you may have many questions about your treatment and are sensitive to your needs. Some patients with prostate cancer are additionally treated with hormone therapies. These treatments can be discussed as well. We pay special attention to discussing the side effects of prostate cancer therapies and are available to guide you through your care. The Prostate Service Nurse, Ludene Wong, RN, MA is available to answer questions at 415-353-7175.
UCSF offers many clinical trials in radiation oncology that you may consider. Current trials can be reviewed at our website (http://www.radonc.ucsf.edu/research_trials/prostate_cancer.html). UCSF is a Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) member.
Many other services are available to the patients receiving care at UCSF. These services include movement classes, art therapy, educational lectures, support groups and nutrition counseling. Most services are provided free of charge. You can review the UCSF Joseph and Ida Friend Cancer Resource Center website at http://cancer.ucsf.edu/crc/. Please ask about our services! We are happy to be involved in your care!
Download our patient information pamphlet here:
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