News

New at UCSD Radiation Oncology in 2009

December 2009

December 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish New Prostate Cancer Study
National Institute of Health (NIH) and Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) Fellow, Sameer Nath, and co-authors Ajay Sandhu MD, Brent Rose, Danny Simpson, Polly Nobiensky, Jia-Zhu Wang PhD, and AJ Mundt MD published a new prostate cancer study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology and Physics. Entitled “Toxicity analysis of post-operative image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer”, this study evaluated the outcomes of a cohort of post-prostatectomy patients treated with image-guided intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Overall, a very low rate of acute and chronic bowel and bladder toxicities were noted, with only 1 patient developing a significant late radiation-associated toxicity. These results support the use of image-guidance in patients treated with IMRT following prostatectomy.

December 2009
UCSD Faculty Publish New Lung Cancer Study
Ajay Sandhu MD, Professor and Chief of the Lung Cancer Service, and co-author Mary Ann Rose MD, Professor and Director of the Encinitas Treatment Facility have published a new article in the journal Clinical Lung Cancer. Entitled “Definitive radiation therapy for stage I non-small cell lung carcinoma: institutional experience with contemporary conformal planning”, this study evaluated the outcomes of a large cohort of lung cancer patients treated with hypofractionated radiotherapy and demonstrated favorable results with a low rate of in-field recurrence and minimal severe radiation-associated toxicity. This approach represents a middle ground between the traditional protracted approaches and the very abbreviated courses increasingly popular today.

December 2009
UCSD Faculty Lecture at ALATRO Convention in Cancun Mexico
Kevin Murphy MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Pediatric Oncology Service, and Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, were invited speakers at the 2nd Annual Congress of the Asociacion Latinoamericana de Terapia Radiante Oncologica (ALATRO) held in Cancun Mexico. Dr. Mundt lectured on the novel applications of image-guided (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in cervical and endometrial cancers, and Dr. Murphy spoke on the use of stereotactic radiosurgery in both children and adults.

December 2009
UCSD Faculty Moderates ASTRO Education Session
Todd Pawlicki PhD, Director of the Division of Clinical Medical Physics, was an invited speaker at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in an education session entitled “Towards defining Best Practices to improve clinical care in radiation oncology”. The goal of the session was to discuss the status of best practices for physicists, dosimetrists, physicians and radiation nurses and to discuss the role of chart rounds in achieving these best practices.

December 2009
UCSD Faculty Moderates ASTRO Gynecology Poster Discussion Session
Arno J. Mundt MD, Department Chair and Professor, was an invited co-moderator of the Gynecologic Oncology Poster Discussion at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) held in Chicago. Themes of this year’s poster discussion session included image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), with an emphasis on outcomes studies.

December 2009
Annual UCSD Faculty Reception Held at ASTRO Meeting
The 4th Annual UCSD Radiation Oncology Faculty Reception was held at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) in Chicago at the Downtown Chicago Sofitel Hotel. The reception was attended by UCSD faculty and guests who were attending the ASTRO meeting held at the McCormick Convention Center in downtown Chicago.

December 2009
UCSD Faculty Participate in ASTRO E-Contouring Program
Arno J. Mundt MD, Department Chair and Professor, was an invited lecturer at the 2009 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) e-contouring practicum held at the annual meeting in Chicago. Dr. Mundt lectured and oversaw the session focused on contouring in the female pelvis, including patients with endometrial and cervical cancers. The goal of the session was to better familiarize attendees with the contouring used in the treatment of a wide range of patients with IMRT and 3DCRT and was attended by a large number of radiation oncologists throughout the United States and abroad (see photo).

December 2009
Sunil Advani MD Joins UCSD Faculty
We are pleased to announce that Sunil Advani MD has joined our faculty. Dr. Advani received his M.D. from the University of Chicago where he also recently completed his Residency in Radiation Oncology. From 1999-2004, he served as a Research Fellow in the Kovler Viral Oncology Laboratories under the tutelage of Drs. Ralph Weichselbaum and Bernard Roizman. At UCSD, Dr. Advani will serve as the Director of the Division of Radiobiology and Biotechnologies and Associate Director for Biology Research in the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART). He will also oversee the Radiobiology courses for the Department’s Medical and Physics Residency Programs.

December 2009
Radiation Oncology Faculty Accepted to NCLAM Program
Loren Mell MD, Assistant Professor and Director of the Division of Clinical Research, has been accepted to the National Center of Leadership in Academic Medicine (NCLAM) Program Class of 2010. NCLAM is a coordinated program that supports junior M.D. and Ph.D. faculty through their initial years in academic medicine. It is committed to providing Assistant Professors the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to make the successful transition to academic careers at UCSD. The 2010 Class will be the 12th class of the UCSD NCLAM program.

December 2009
New Education and Tele-Medicine Center Groundbreaking
A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new UCSD Education and Tele-Medicine Center on campus here in La Jolla. The over 99,000 square feet facility will serve as a regional center for new initiatives in tele-medicine and tele-education. Within the center, there will be a 7,000 square foot medical and surgical procedure teaching laboratory and a 9,000 square foot simulation center with 18 examination rooms, simulated hospital rooms, emergency rooms, intensive care beds and operating rooms. Anticipated opening is Fall 2011.

December 2009
Spotlight on Cancer Library Lecture Series
In conjunction with Encinitas Mayor Maggie Houlihan, UCSD faculty Dr. Arno J. Mundt and Dr. Mary Ann Rose are hosting several Cancer Lectures at the Encinitas Public Library in Encinitas California. The first of the series was on Prostate Cancer given by Dr. Mundt followed by a lecture on Breast Cancer by Dr. Mary Ann Rose. The next lecture in the series will be a joint lecture by Dr. Mundt and Mayor Houlihan on “Accessing On Line Health Resources”.

December 2009
John Einck MD Joins UCSD Faculty
We are pleased to announce that John Einck MD has joined our faculty. Dr. Einck received his training at the University of Washington where he subsequently served on faculty and also as the Residency Program Director. After relocating to California, Dr. Einck has been active in private practice serving as a Partner in the X-Ray Medical Group. Dr. Einck has considerable interest in Breast, Gynecology and Prostate Cancers, particularly their treatment with brachytherapy. He is working closely with UCSD Urologists to develop an interstitial prostate brachytherapy program.

December 2009
ASTRO Radiation and Cancer Biology Poster Recognition Award
Sunil Advani MD, Assistant Professor and Director of our new Division of Radiation Biology and Biotechnologies, was awarded the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Resident Radiation and Cancer Biology Poster Recognition Award at the 51st Annual ASTRO Meeting held in Chicago for his poster entitled Increasing the therapeutic ratio of oncolysis by optimally integrating radiotherapy into the replicative cycle of oncolytic HSV-1 for high grade gliomas. Co-authors on this study included University of Chicago investigators including Bernard Roizman ScD and Ralph Weichselbaum MD, Chair of the Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology.

December 2009
Special delivery from Santa to Radiation Oncology Pediatric Patients
There was a teddy bear delivery from Santa for pediatric patients who will be receiving radiation treatment throughout the year. One hundred teddy bears were brought to the Radition Oncology Pet/CT Center by members of a Self Realization Fellowship toy drive for distribution to our young patients. The teddy bears are wearing a special tag with a message and a place where patients or their parents may write the name of their teddy bear as it becomes a special companion during their treatment process:

“ My name is ______________ I’m your little radiation buddy! Give me a hug! Remember to bring me to radiation each day. I’ll go with you to treatment and be there when you are done.”

December 2009
UCSD Names New Medical Center Chief Executive Officer
We are please to announce that Thomas Jackiewicz has been named the new Chief Executive Office (CEO) of the UCSD Medical Center. With UCSD since 2001, Mr. Jackiewicz has most recently served as Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer of Health Sciences. Mr. Jackiewicz has tremendous experience in academic medicine having served in leadership positions at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University and Oregon Health Sciences University. He also has considerable knowledge of Radiation Oncology and his leadership was essential in Dr. Mundt’s recruitment to UCSD, the building of the Radiation Oncology/PET-CT Center in La Jolla and the department’s first satellite in Encinitas.

December 2009
New Department Prostate Cancer Article Published
Professor and La Jolla Medical Director Ajay Sandhu MD and A.J. Mundt MD have published a new article in the journal Urologic Oncology. Entitled “Radiation therapy for urologic malignancies in the elderly”, this invited work provides a detailed overview of the role of radiation therapy in elderly patients with urologic cancers, including the use of novel technologies including image-guided radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery. Unlike previously thought, elderly patients tolerate radiotherapy very well and often better than younger patients with urologic cancers.

December 2009
CART Post-Doc Receives ASTRO Resident Poster Recognition Award
Ruijiang Li PhD, Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) Post-Doctoral Fellow, was awarded the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Resident Poster Recognition Award at the 51st Annual ASTRO Meeting held in Chicago for his poster entitled An Internal 4D CT Sorting Method Based on Patient Anatomy. This prestigious award is a great recognition of his novel and exciting work. Co-authors on this study included Medical Physics Graduate Student John Lewis, CART Co-Director Steve Jiang PhD and Assistant Professor Laura Cervino PhD.

December 2009
CART Researchers Publish New Breast Cancer Study
Assistant Professor and Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) Researcher Laura Cervino PhD and co-authors Sonia Gupta (UCSD Summer Intern Medical Student), Catheryn Yashar MD, Mary Ann Rose MD and Steve Jiang PhD have published a new study in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Entitled “Using surface imaging and visual coaching to improve the reproducibility and stability of deep-inspiration breast hold for left breast cancer radiotherapy”, this study evaluated the utility of using visual coaching with 3D video surface imaging and video goggles in left-sided breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy treated with deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH). It was found that the addition of visual coaching significantly improved the reproducibility and stability of DIBH, especially in patients with poor reproducibility and stability. These findings may help significantly improve the quality and delivery of radiotherapy in left-sided breast cancer patients.

December 2009
CART Researchers Publish New IGRT Study
Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) National Institute of Health (NIH) Fellow Daniel Simpson and fellow UCSD Researchers Joshua Lawson MD, Sameer Nath, Brent Rose, AJ Mundt MD and Loren Mell MD have published a new image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR). Entitled Utilization of advanced imaging technologies for target delineation in radiation oncology, this study represents the first survey of the utilization of advanced imaging modalities to augment target delineation in radiation oncology every performed. It was a Herculean effort involving contacting 1600 radiation oncologists in the United States. The results demonstrate that advanced imaging is becoming more common in the radiation oncology community as a whole, among academics and private practitioners alike. Click here to view the Press Release by the journal accompanying the publication of this article.

December 2009
CART Co-Director Publishes New Head and Neck Cancer Study
Loren Mell, M.D., Assistant Professor and Co-Director of the Division of Technologic and Medical Research, has a new publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Entitled “Predictors of Competing Mortality in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer”, this study identified multiple risk factors for competing causes of mortality in patients with stage III-IV head and neck cancer treated with organ-preserving chemoradiotherapy. This study may lead to better approaches to designing clinical trials in head and neck cancer. It was co-authored with researchers from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. A focus of Dr. Mell and colleagues in the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) is on statistical modeling and outcomes research to optimize design of radiation therapy clinical trials.

November 2009

November 2009
UCSD Faculty Selected to Attend RSNA Advanced Course in Grant Writing
Dr. Laura Cervino, Assistant Professor, has been selected to attend the 2009-2010 Radiologic Society of North America’s (RSNA) Advanced Course in Grant Writing. A four multi-day workshop held at the RSNA headquarters in Chicago, attendance in this course is awarded to select young radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and nuclear medicine physicians from academic University centers. Goals of this advanced course include understanding the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) grant application process from conception of a potential idea, through drafting, editing and generation of a budget. This is the 2nd year in a row UCSD Radiation Oncology faculty have been selected for this program. Dr. Loren Mell won this prestigious award last year.

November 2009
UCSD Radiation Oncology South Bay on KUSI-TV
A special morning feature highlighting the new UCSD Radiation Oncology South Bay Treatment Center was shown on KUSI Morning News. The spot was filmed at the center and included interviews with South Bay Medical Director Ramez Farah MD and Department Chair Arno J. Mundt MD. UCSD Radiation Oncology South Bay is a state-of-the-art treatment center in East Lake California offering patients the latest most sophisticated cancer treatments close to their home. KUSI-TV is an independent local San Diego TV station. Click here to learn more about the South Bay Radiation Oncology Treatment Center.

November 2009
UCSD Faculty Lecture at California Cancer Registrars Association Meeting
Ajay Sandhu MD, Professor and Medical Director (La Jolla), and Arno J. Mundt MD Professor and Department Chair, were invited speakers at the annual meeting of the California Cancer Registrars Association (CCRA). Founded in 1973, CCRA is comprised of 350 Cancer Registrars throughout California and is dedicated to providing quality data to clinicians and researchers ensuring optimal patient care. Dr. Mundt provided the group with an overview of advances in Radiation Oncology technologies and Dr. Sandhu spoke on the treatment of lung cancer including stereotactic radiosurgery.

November 2009
Carol Shostak Named Learning Center Co-Director
The Department of Radiation Oncology is pleased to announce that Carol Shostak has been named Co-Director of the new Radiation Oncology Learning Center. Together with Co-Director Josh Lawson MD, Ms. Shostak will oversee the development and operations of the Learning Center which offers a variety of classes for physicians, physicists and technical radiation oncology staff. Classes include IGRT for MDs, Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation, Rapid Arc, SBRT for MDs, and Going Paperless. Formerly a Product Manager at Varian Medical Systems, Ms. Shostak is also a certified dosimetrist. Click here to learn more about the Radiation Oncology Learning Center.

November 2009
Grand Opening UCSD Radiation Oncology South Bay
The Grand Opening of the newest UCSD Radiation Oncology satellite was held this month on location of the UCSD Radiation Oncology Treatment Center in Chula Vista California. Attended by over 150 visitors as well as local dignitaries including Mayor Cheryl Cox and other elected officials, the open house featured an official ribbon cutting and tours of the state of the art facility which offers the latest in radiation oncology technologies including stereotactic radiosurgery, IGRT, IMRT and Rapid Arc. To learn more about the facility and its services click here to check out the center’s official website.

November 2009
Dr. Mundt Receives 2009 Health Care Champion Award
Arno J, Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, was awarded the 2009 Health Care Champion Award by the San Diego Business Journal. This prestigious honor highlights select physicians, administrators and allied health professionals who have made a major impact on health care and business in the San Diego region. Founded in 1973 and with a circulation of over 15600, the San Diego Business Journal is published weekly and is a major resource for the business community in Southern California.

November 2009
UCSD Faculty Contribute to New IGRT Textbook
Faculty Members Loren Mell MD, Ajay Sandhu MD, Steve Jiang PhD, and Arno J. Mundt MD were invited chapter authors in the latest radiation oncology textbook devoted to Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) entitled Image-Guided and Adaptive Radiation Therapy, co-edited by Lei Xing PhD and Robert Timmerman PhD. Drs. Mell, Sandhu and Jiang contributed a chapter on IGRT in Lung Cancer and Drs. Mundt and Mell co-authored a chapter on IGRT in Gynecologic Cancers. Dr. Mundt is also a co-editor of his own IGRT Textbook entitled IGRT: A Clinical Perspective which is expected to be published in early 2010.

November 2009
UCSD Faculty Speak at University of Chicago Celebration
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, was an invited speaker at a reception honoring the 25th Anniversary of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Mundt has the honor of summarizing the 2000-2005 Era during which he served as an Associate Professor and Residency Program Director. Held at the new Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, the event highlighted Dr. Ralph Weichselbaum who founded the University of Chicago Department and continues as its chairman. Several UCSD faculty members are graduates of the University of Chicago Radiation Oncology Residency Program including Ramez Farah MD (1987), Arno Mundt MD (1994), Kevin Murphy MD (2003), Loren Mell MD (2008) and Sunil Advani MD (2009). Drs. Mundt and Farah also both served on the University of Chicago faculty.

October 2009

October 2009
UCSD Radiation Oncology North County Sponsors Encinitas Oktoberfest
The UCSD Radiation Oncology North County (Encinitas) Facility proudly served as a sponsor of the 15th Annual Encinitas Oktoberfest held in Encinitas, California. The festivities included Bavarian music and dancers, an authentic German beer garden, a ceremonial parade and over 200+ booths (included one featuring UCSD Radiation Oncology North County).

October 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish New Breast Cancer Study
Catheryn Yashar MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Breast Cancer Service, and Daniel Scanderbeg PhD, Assistant Professor, have published a new study in the journal Brachytherapy. Entitled “Initial clinical experience with the strut-adjusted volume implant brachytherapy applicator for accelerated partial breast irradiation”, this study reviews their initial experience using the SAVI applicator in 30 early stage breast cancer patients who had a minimum of 12 months followup. All patients tolerated the procedure well with minimal acute and chronic toxicity. No local recurrences have been noted to date. Dr. Yashar was the first clinician in California to adopt the SAVI approach and UCSD was the second center in the world to treat patients with this novel technology.

October 2009
UCSD Faculty Speak at 2009 IS3R Meeting
Kevin Murphy MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Brain and Pediatric Oncology Services, and Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, were invited speakers at the 8th Biennial Internal Symposium of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology (IS3R) Meeting held at the Lodge at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla California (see photo). IS3R is an international organization of leaders in Radiology devoted to the study of scientific, strategic and economic issues in Radiology. Dr. Murphy spoke on oncolytic viruses expressing imaging reporters and Dr. Mundt spoke on IGRT in gynecologic cancers. The next IS3R conference will be held in Dubrovnik Croatia in 2011.

October 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish New Brain Tumor Study
Visiting Resident Lauren Vanderspek and UCSD Faculty Jia-Zhu Wang, PhD, Joshua Lawson MD, Kevin Murphy MD and AJ Mundt MD have published a new study in the journal Technology in Cancer Research and Treatment. Entitled “Dosimetric comparison of intensity-modulated radiosurgery and helical tomotherapy for the treatment”, this study compares intensity-modulated single-isocenter stereotactic radiosurgery (IM-SRS) performed on a Varian Trilogy and helical tomotherapy in patients with multiple metastases. The technologies were found to be similar in terms of conformity indices and normal tissue sparing; however, Trilogy IM-SRS had a lower integral brain dose and was significantly faster (23 versus 41 minutes). Dr. Murphy and his team have the largest experience in the world using frameless IM-SRS on the Varian Trilogy and were the first to treat patients with a novel single-isocenter technique.

October 2009
CART Researchers Publish New Lung Cancer Study
Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) Post-Doctoral Fellow Ruijiang Li PhD and fellow UCSD Researchers John Lewis, Laura Cervino PhD, and Steve Jiang PhD have published a new lung cancer study in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Entitled “A feasibility study of markerless fluoroscopic gating for lung cancer radiotherapy using 4DCT templates”, this study examines a novel markerless gating algorithm based on 4-dimensional CT templates. Markerless gating technologies are a major focus of CART researchers and provide an accurate and non-invasive approach to the treatment of patients with lung cancers and lung metastases.

October 2009
CART Researchers Publish New On-Line Adaptive RT Study
Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) Post-Doctoral Fellow Xuejun Gu PhD and fellow UCSD Researchers Chunhua Men PhD, Dongju Choi PhD, Hubert Pan, Amitava Majumdar PhD and Steve Jiang PhD have published a new article in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Entitled “GPU-based ultra-fast dose calculation using a finite size pencil beam model”, this study presents a novel dose calculation engine based on a finite-size pencil beam algorithm and a GPU parallel computing framework. Using this approach, the computational time for calculating dose deposition coefficients for a 9-field IMRT prostate plan was shown to be less than 1 second. Applications of computer graphics processing units (GPU) in the development of on-line adaptive RT techniques are a major focus of CART researchers. Co-Authors Amitava Majumdar PhD and Dongju Choi PhD, researchers at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, will soon be joining our faculty.

October 2009
CART Researchers Publish Novel GPU Study
Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) Post-Doctoral Fellow Chunhua Men PhD and fellow UCSD Researchers Xuejun Gu PhD, Dongju Choi PhD, Amitava Majumdar PhD and Steve Jiang PhD have published a new article in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Entitled “GPU-based ultrafast IMRT plan optimization”, this study presents the implementation of an IMRT optimization algorithm on graphics processing units (GPUs). Using this approach, optimization of an IMRT treatment plan can be accomplished in 2.8 seconds! This approach solves a major problem precluding the use on-line adaptive RT strategies in radiation oncology. GPU applications in the development of on-line adaptive RT techniques are a major focus of CART researchers.

October 2009
Physics Resident Publishes New Dosimetry Study
Erica Kinsey PhD, Chief Resident in the UCSD Medical Physics Residency Program, published a new study in the journal Medical Physics. Entitled “Investigation of the dosimetric accuracy of the isocenter shifting method in prostate cancer patients with and without hip prostheses”, this study analyzed the dosimetric effect of isocenter shifts in prostate cancer patients with hip prostheses treated with daily on-line IGRT. The authors found that accurate dose to the prostate can be delivered using IGRT in these patients. Co-authors on this study included Andrew Hwang from the University of California San Francisco and Ping Xia, Director of Medical Physics at the Cleveland Clinic.

October 2009
UCSD Investigators Publish New Spine Radiosurgery Study
Jia Zhu Wang PhD, and co-authors and fellow UCSD faculty Roger Rice PhD, AJ Mundt MD, Ajay Sandhu MD and Kevin Murphy MD published on new article in the journal Medical Dosimetry. Entitled “Image-Guided stereotactic spine radiosurgery on a conventional linear accelerator”, this study presents the UCSD approach to stereotactic spine radiosurgery using a Trilogy accelerator equipped with on-board kV planar and volumetric imaging. Various aspects of the treatment process are reviewed including simulation, treatment planning and quality assurance.

October 2009
First Frame-less, Mask-less, Bite-block-less Treatment at UCSD
Josh Lawson, M.D. treated the first cranial radiosurgery case without a frame, mask, or bite-block, which has been development for unparallel patient comfort in high-precision cranial treatments. A modification to the MayoMold was used in combination with the AlignRT system for setup and real-time patient surveillance. CART researcher and Physics Division member Laura Cervino, Ph.D. headed up the technical development of the system with CART Co-Director, Steve Jiang, Ph.D. The clinical development team consisted of the Physics Division Director, Todd Pawlicki, Ph.D., Becky Hietpas, B.S., R.T.T., Matt Taylor, B.S., R.T.T., and Roger Rice, Ph.D., Associate Chief of Clinical Physics. The new treatment technique is an excellent example of the close collaboration between CART (the department’s research arm) and the Physics Division (responsible for clinical development and implementation).

August 2009

August 2009
CART Co-Director Publishes New Multi-Institutional IMRT Study
Loren K. Mell MD, Co-Director of the Division of Technologic and Medical Research and the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), recently published a new multi-institutional IMRT study in the journal Radiotherapy Oncology. Entitled A multi-institutional acute gastrointestinal toxicity analysis of anal cancer patients treated with concurrent IMRT and chemotherapy, this study evaluated the correlation of the volume of bowel irradiated and acute toxicity in patients with anal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy, providing guidance on methods to minimize such toxicity utilizing intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Co-authors on this study included researchers from the University of Chicago, Mayo Clinic, Emory University and Loyola University.

August 2009
Genelux Researchers Publish New Basic Science Publication
Aladar Szalay PhD, Professor in the Division of Radiobiology and Biotechnologies, and fellow Genelux Researchers (and soon to be Department faculty) Qian Zhang PhD, Yong Yu PhD, and Nanhai Chen PhD, have recently published a new basic science article in the journal Molecular Genetics and Genomics. Entitled The highly attenuated oncolytic recombinant vaccinia virus GLV-1h68: comparative genomic features and the contribution of F14.5L inactivation, this study presents genome comparisons between the oncolytic vaccinia-virus GLV-1h68, developed by researchers at Genelux, a recombinant vaccinia virus and other vaccinia viruses. Their results provide further evidence that GLV-1h68 is a promising anticancer therapy with tumor-specific replication, reduced pathogenicity and benign tissue tropism.

August 2009
New Department Radiosurgery Study Published
Senior UCSD Medical Student and CART Researcher Sameer Nath and co-authors Joshua Lawson MD, Jia Zhu Wang PhD, Daniel Simpson BS, Arno Mundt MD and Kevin Murphy MD, have recently published a new article in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology. Entitled Optically-guided frameless linac-based radiosurgery for brain metastases: clinical experience, this study describes our departmental clinical experience using optically-guided linac-based frameless stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of patients with brain metastases. Patient outcomes compared favorably to earlier published frame-based techniques, strongly supporting the use of the frameless approach.

August 2009
New Departmental Basic Science Publication
Aladar Szalay PhD, Professor in the Division of Radiobiology and Biotechnologies, and co-authors Nanhai Chen PhD, Yong “Tony” Yu PhD and Qian Zhang PhD, have published a new basic science article in the journal BMC Genomics. Entitled Systemic treatment of xenografts with vaccinia virus GLV-1h68 reveals the immunologic facet of oncolytic therapy, this study evaluates immune-mediated mechanisms involved in the eradication of tumors by the attenuated recombinant vaccinia virus GLV-1h68. Co-authors on this study include researchers from the University of Würzburg (Germany), the National Institutes of Health (USA), St. Louis University (USA), and the University of Verona (Italy).

August 2009
New Department Stereotactic Radiosurgery Article Published
Joshua Lawson, M.D., Assistant Professor, Division of Clinical Radiation Oncology and the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), and co-authors Jia Zhu Wang PhD, Sameer Nath, Roger Rice PhD, Todd Pawlicki PhD, Arno Mundt MD and Kevin Murphy MD, have published a new article in the Journal of Neuro-Oncology. Entitled Intracranial application of IMRT-based radiosurgery to treat multiple or large irregular lesions and verification of infra-red frameless localization system, this study describes quality assurance measures and our department’s initial clinical experience using intensity-modulated stereotactic radiosurgery for multiple brain metastases and large, irregular cranial lesions. This novel approach was fought to be feasible, could be performed within an acceptable treatment time, and provided excellent dose conformity and organ sparing.

August 2009
CART Researchers Publish New 4DCT Approach
Ruijiang Li and fellow CART Researchers John Lewis, Laura Cervino, and Steve Jiang have published a new 4DCT approach in patients with lung and abdominal tumors undergoing respiratory gating. Entitled 4D CT Sorting Based on Patient Internal Anatomy, this study describes a novel method of 4DCT image sorting in patients with lung and abdominal tumors based on internal patient anatomy not on external surrogates of respiratory motion. This method potentially avoids many of the limitations and errors of the current 4DCT technique which is used in clinics all over the world.

August 2009
New Basic Science Article Published
Aladar Szalay PhD, Professor in the Division of Radiobiology and Biotechnologies, and colleagues have recently published a new basic science study in the journal Molecular Cancer. Entitled Oncolytic Vaccinia Therapy of Squamous Cell Carcinoma, this study examined the oncolytic effects of the attenuated, replication-competent vaccinia virus (GLV-1h68) against a panel of human head and neck cell lines. The virus was found to be highly cytotoxic both in vitro and in vivo, supporting a possible for role in the treatment of the head and neck cancer patients.

August 2009
UCSD Establishes New Medical School in India
UC San Diego has formed a partnership to establish a new medical school on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, one of the top-ranked engineering and technology-oriented institutions in India. Located 75 west of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), IIT Kharagpur was established in 1951 and is the first and largest of the 13 IITs in India, which are higher technical institutions modeled along the lines of MIT and Cal Tech. The school is currently home to 470 faculty and 5500 students. The enclosed photo is of the School of Telecommunications and Computer Center on the IIT campus. This new relationship opens the door to interesting clinical and research collaborations between the two institutions and places UCSD in an elite group of American Universities which have established medical schools abroad including Johns Hopkins (Singapore), Cornell (Qatar), Duke (Singapore) and Harvard (Dubai).

July 2009

July 2009
CART Director Publishes New Lung Cancer Study
Steve Jiang PhD, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Division of Technologic and Medical Research, has a new publication in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Entitled “Synchronized Moving Aperture Radiation Therapy (SMART): Superimposing Tumor Motion on IMRT MLC Leaf Sequences Under Realistic Delivery Conditions”, this project examines the feasibility of using the SMART approach in the treatment of tumors subject to respiratory-induced motion. This study was co-authored with researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio. A major focus of Dr. Jiang and colleagues in the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) is on the development of strategies to effectively irradiate moving lung tumors.

July 2009
UCSD Professor Publishes New Article in PNAS
Aladar Szalay PhD, Professor in the new Division of Radiation Biology and Biotechnologies, has published a new article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Entitled “Anti-VEGF single-chain antibody GLAF-1 encoded by oncolytic vaccinia virus significantly enhances antitumor therapy”, this study is significant because it demonstrates the ability to use genetically-engineered vaccinia viruses to transport targeted anti-cancer agents directly to tumors, potentially avoiding systemic toxicities. Founded in 1914, PNAS is the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences and publishes noteworthy papers in a broad spectrum of disciplines including the biological, physical and social sciences. Co-authors Nenhai Chen PhD, Yong “Tony” Yu PhD and Qian Zhang PhD (as well as fellow researchers Utz Fischer PhD and Ivaylo Gentschev PhD) will also be joining our faculty later this academic year.

July 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish New Review Article
National Institute Of Health (NIH) Fellows Sameer Nath, Danny Simpson, Brent Rose and Ajay Sandhu MD, Medical Director (La Jolla) and Professor in the Division of Clinical Radiation Oncology, published a new article in the Journal of Oncology. Entitled “Recent advances in image-guided radiotherapy for head and neck carcinoma”, this invited review provides an overview of the novel uses of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) for both target delineation and treatment delivery in head and neck cancer patients. IGRT is an exciting approach to the treatment of these difficult tumors and has the potential of significantly improving the quality and delivery of radiation, reducing toxicities and improving control rates.

July 2009
Ramez Farah MD Joins UCSD Faculty
We are pleased to announce that Ramez Farah MD has joined our faculty. Dr. Farah received his training at the University of Chicago where he subsequently served on faculty for five years as Chief of the Gynecology, Breast and Lymphoma Services. After relocating to California in 1993, Dr. Farah has been active in private practice in Fresno, San Diego and Riverside. Most recently, he has been a member of Valley Radiotherapy Associates practicing in El Centro. Dr. Farah has been appointed as Medical Director of the new UCSD Radiation Oncology South Bay Treatment Center.

July 2009
UCSD Faculty Present Research at American Brachytherapy Society
Catheryn Yashar MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Gynecologic and Breast Cancer Services, and Dan Scanderbeg PhD, Assistant Professor, presented their research on Breast Brachytherapy using the SAVI device at the 2009 American Brachytherapy Society Meeting in Chicago. Ramez Eskandar MD, an OB-GYN resident working with Dr. Yashar also presented research focusing on image-guided brachytherapy in cervical cancer patients for which he was awarded a Resident Travel Award. Founded in 1978, the American Brachytherapy Society is devoted to research and training in brachytherapy in a wide variety of tumor sites. Click here for a copy of the presentation.

July 2009
UCSD Faculty Lecture at ABS Brachytherapy School
Catheryn Yashar MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Gynecologic and Breast Cancer Services, was an invited speaker at the 2009 American Brachytherapy Society (ABS) Gynecologic Brachytherapy School held in Chicago. She lectured on “Medically Inoperable Endometrial Cancer” and discussed various radiotherapy treatment options in these patients. Attendees at the Brachytherapy School attended lectures on the fundamentals of brachytherapy in cervical, endometrial and vaginal cancers by experts from the United States and France. Akila Viswanathan MD MPH, Harvard Medical School, was the 2009 Program Chair.

July 2009
Radiation Oncology Expansion Highlighted in HealthSpan Newsletter
The newly opened Radiation Oncology PET/CT Center in La Jolla was highlighted in HealthSpan, the monthly web-based newsletter of UCSD Health Sciences. HealthSpan was developed to inform the UCSD Health Sciences community of noteworthy events. Recipients of the monthly newsletter include faculty and staff of the Medical Center, School of Medicine, Skaggs School of Pharmacy, the Medical Group, and Moores Cancer Center. The latest issue of HealthSpan also contains an announcement of the UCSD Radiation Oncology North County facility located in Encinitas which opened in October 2008.

July 2009
Radiation Oncology Expansion Open House
A medical center-wide open house was held earlier this month at the recently opened UCSD Radiation Oncology Expansion. Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, and Laura Adams, Director of Clinical Operations, hosted tours of the new facility. Visitors included Dennis Carson, Cancer Center Director, Mona Sonnenshein, Medical Center COO and Roger Tsien PhD, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. The new facility greatly expands the capacity of the Radiation Oncology department and includes two new Varian Linear Accelerators with image-guidance, intensity modulation and stereotactic radiosurgery capability. In addition, the expansion is home to the new PET-CT Imaging center.

July 2009
Faculty Contribute Chapters to New Gynecologic Cancer Text
Catheryn Yashar MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Services, and Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, were contributors to the Fifth Edition of the comprehensive Gynecologic Cancer textbook Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology, edited by Richard Barakat, Maurie Markman and Marcus Randall. Dr. Yashar co-authored a chapter entitled “Management of Complications of Gynecologic Cancer Treatment” and Dr. Mundt co-authored a chapter on “Innovative 21st Century Technologies.”

July 2009
CART NIH Fellows Publish Review Article
Brent Rose, Daniel Simpson and Sameer Nath, National Institute of Health (NIH) Fellows and Senior UCSD Medical Students, published a review article on hypofractionated radiotherapy in the elderly in the journal Aging Health. Entitled “Hypofractionated RT in the Elderly: Sometimes Less is More”, this review examines how hypofractionation is changing the treatment of the 3 most common cancers in the elderly, namely, lung, prostate and breast cancer, and how elderly patients stand to benefit from this change. Brent, Danny and Sameer are currently completing a year long fellowship in our Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) supported by the NIH. All three have devoted this year to research working under CART faculty.

July 2009
UCSD Faculty Publishes New Head and Neck Cancer Study
Dr. Joshua Lawson, Assistant Professor and Director of the UCSD Radiation Oncology Learning Center, along with his former colleagues from Emory University, published a new head and neck cancer study in the American Journal of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Medicine and Surgery. Entitled “Percutaneous feeding tubes in patients with head and neck cancer: rethinking prophylactic placement for patients undergoing chemoradiation”, this study examines the outcome of head and neck cancer patients undergoing definitive chemoradiotherapy who underwent the prophylactic placement of a percutaneous feeding tube prior to treatment. Patients at risk for prolonged feeding tube durations included older patients and those with more advanced locoregional disease. Side effects including replacement, infection and pain were not common but remain a concern in these patients.

June 2009

June 2009
UCSD Faculty Profiled in Rancho Santa Fe Review
Mary Ann Rose MD, Professor and Medical Director of the UCSD Radiation Oncology-North County Treatment Facility, was recently profiled in the Rancho Santa Fe (RSF) Review (see photo). First published in the 1970s, the RSF Review is an award winning newspaper serving San Diego county’s north coastal communities. A long-time resident of RSF, Dr. Rose joined our department to serve as Medical Director of the first Radiation Oncology satellite. Opened in October 2008, the North County center currently treats 25-30 patients per day and offers a wide range of cutting edge technologies including image-guided radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery.

June 2009
UCSD Faculty Speak at Cancer Survivorship XII
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, was an invited speaker at the 12th Annual Cancer Survivorship Day held at Bloch Cancer Survivor Park in San Diego. Hosted by Bill Griffith, News Anchor Channel 10 News, and Dani Grady, Co-Founder Cancer Survivorship San Diego, this event is a celebration of life for cancer patients, their familites, health care providers and the general public. The Radiation Oncology Department also sponsored a dedicated booth featuring novel treatments offered at our three centers throughout San Diego including La Jolla, Encinitas and South Bay. Thanks to Krista Jubala (Department Manager, Encinitas) and Teresa Langley (Department Manager, South Bay) for staffing the booth!

June 2008
Radiation Oncology PET/CT Center Highlighted in Cancer Center Browser
The newly opened UCSD Radiation Oncology PET/CT Center was highlighted this month in the Moores Cancer Center Browser, the monthly newsletter of the UCSD Moores Cancer Center. With over 1200 subscribers, the monthly newsletter is designed to highlight new and exciting developments in the Cancer Center. The new facility greatly expands the capacity of the Radiation Oncology department and includes two new Varian Linear Accelerators with image-guidance, intensity modulation and stereotactic radiosurgery capability.

June 2009
UCSD Faculty Listed in Who’s Who In America
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, will be listed in the upcoming edition of Marquis’ Who’s Who in America. Published initially in 1899, Who’s Who includes biographies of thousands of influential individuals in the United States in the fields of law, medicine, business and other fields. In recent years, Dr. Mundt has received multiple awards including being named a Chicago Top Doctor (2006), America’s Top Doctors for Cancer (2007,2008) and a San Diego Top Doctor (2008).

June 2009
UCSD Medical Physicist Publishes IGRT Textbook
William Song PhD, Assistant Professor, is the author of a new textbook entitled Image-Guided Radiation Therapy of Prostate Cancer: Simulation Methods, Evaluation Tools and Optimization Techniques for Clinical Use. This book aims to provide a systematic evaluation of various technologies used for treatment guidance in patients with prostate cancer. Modern evaluation tools including deformable image registration, convolution and radiobiologic indices are also discussed. Dr. Song is a member of the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), the translational physics research arm of our department.

June 2009
Radiation Oncology Faculty Meet with Encinitas Mayor
Mary Ann Rose MD, Professor and Medical Director of the UCSD Radiation Oncology-North County Facility, and Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, met recently over lunch with Encinitas Mayor Maggie Houlihan (see photo) at the restaurant Savory in Encinitas. Topics of discussion included plans for an upcoming UCSD Cancer Center Lecture series to be held at the Encinitas Public Library. The Encinitas Facility, the first satellite of the UCSD Radiation Oncology Department, opened in October of 2008 and is currently treating 25-30 patients per day.

June 2009
Radiation Oncology Staff Named Cancer Center Employee of the Year
Lourdes Espinosa was named the 2009 Moores Cancer Center Employee of the Year by the Cancer Center Patient Advisory Committee (PAC). Ms. Espinosa has been with UCSD since 2000 and with Radiation Oncology Department since 2007. She works as a receptionist and is a member of our Patient Services Staff. Each year, an employee is selected by PAC based on patient and family comments and recommendations. Ms Espinosa received one of the highest number of favorable patient comments ever received by an employee at the Cancer Center. We are very proud to have her as a member of our growing family.

June 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish New Basic Science Study
A basic science study by Aladar Szalay PhD, Professor in the Division of Radiation Biology and Biotechnologies and fellow Genelux Researchers was published this month in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. Entitled Imaging a Genetically Engineered Oncolytic Vaccinia Virus (GLV-1h99) Using a Human Norepinephrine Transporter Reporter Gene, this article demonstrates the feasibility of using MIBG and PET imaging to monitor tumors infected by the genetically-modified vaccinia virus, GLV-1h99, containing the human norepinephrine transporter gene (hNET). Dr. Szalay recently joined our faculty as a Professor and will serve as the Director of newly established Genelux Institute for Integrated Therapies and Diagnostics, a non-profit subsidiary of Genelux Corporation.

June 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish new Lung Cancer IGRT Study
Laura Cervino PhD, a post-doc researcher in the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), published a new study in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Entitled “The Diaphragm as a Surrogate for Lung Tumor Motion”, this paper evaluated the correlation between diaphragm motion and tumor motion in 10 lung cancer patients. The results suggest that the diaphragm is a good surrogate for tumor motion in the great majority of patients. Co-authors on the study include Ajay Sandhu MD and Steve Jiang PhD. Dr. Laura Cervino will be joining the UCSD faculty later this year.

UCSD Researchers Publish new Pediatric IGRT Study
Kevin Murphy MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Pediatric and CNS Tumor Services, published a new study in the journal Childs Nervous System. Entitled “Initial Clinical Experience Using Frameless Optically-Guided Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy in Pediatric Patients”, this paper presents the outcome of 9 pediatric patients with a variety of tumors treated with a frameless technique using the Varian Trilogy Machine (see photo). Dr. Murphy has the largest experience in the world treating pediatric patients with frameless radiosurgery/radiotherapy on the Varian Trilogy machine.

May 2009

June 2009
Nicole Detorie Joins the Physics Residency Program
Dr. Nicole Detorie received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Physics from UCLA in May 2009. At UCLA, she worked in the Ahmanson Biological Imaging Center with her advisor, Magnus Dahlbom, Ph.D. Her dissertation research investigated respiratory motion compensation methods for positron emission tomography (PET). Nicole and her husband, Patrick McKeever, are pictured here celebrating Patrick's graduation from UCLA's School of Law. Nicole and Patrick enjoy playing tennis, watching college football, cooking, and playing music together.

May 2009
UCSD Faculty Lecture in Sao Paulo Brazil
Kevin Murphy MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the CNS and Pediatric Services, and Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, were invited speaker at Varian Medical Systems sponsored event held in Sao Paulo Brazil (see photo). Dr. Murphy spoke on stereotactic radiosurgery of the brain in adults and children using RapidArc, a new software system from Varian which significantly reduces treatment times. Dr. Mundt spoke on the role of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) in clinical practice. Drs. Mundt and Murphy are frequent lecturers for Varian, the largest producer of radiation oncology equipment in the world.

May 2009
UCSD Faculty Serve as ABR Oral Boards Examiners
Dr. Arno Mundt, Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UCSD, served as an Oral Examiner for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) annual examination in Radiation Oncology. Offered each year in Louisville, this exam is taken by new radiation oncology graduates seeking to obtain their Board Certification and encompasses 8 subjects. An internationally recognized expert in gynecologic cancers, Dr. Mundt has served as an Oral Examiner in the Gynecology Section for over 5 years. Other examiners include Jeff Bradley (Washington University), Patrick Kupelian (MD Anderson Orlando), Alan Pollack (Fox Chase), and Nancy Lee (Memorial Sloan Kettering).

May 2009
UCSD Faculty Participate in ASTRO IGRT/SBRT Symposium
Dr. Arno J. Mundt, Professor and Department Chair, was an invited faculty lecturer at the 2009 American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) IGRT/SBRT Symposium held in Miami Florida (see photo) at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa. An annual event, this symposium was attended by over 300 radiation oncologists, medical physicists and dosimetrists from throughout the country and abroad. Together with Yosh Yamada, M.D. (Memorial Sloan Kettering), Lei Dong PhD (MD Anderson Cancer Center) and Peter Munro Ph.D. (Varian Medical Systems), Dr. Mundt supervised the hands-on break-out sessions for Varian users. Dr. Mundt also delivered a lecture on the present and future role of IGRT in gynecologic cancers.

May 2009
UCSD Faculty Lecture at Jornada Paulista de Radiologica
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Chair, and Kevin Murphy MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Pediatrics and CNS Tumor Services, were invited speakers at the 39th Annual Jornada Paulista de Radiologica (JPR 2009), the main radiology congress held in Latin America and the 3rd largest in the world. JPR 2009 was held in Sao Paulo Brazil (see photo). Dr. Mundt spoke on the use of novel radiotherapy techniques, including IMRT and IGRT, in gynecologic tumors and Dr. Mundt spoke on his experience using frameless stereotactic radiosurgery in adults and children with brain tumors.

May 2009
UCSD Faculty Lecture in Santiago de Chile
Kevin Murphy MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the CNS and Pediatric Services, and Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, were invited speaker at Varian Medical Systems sponsored event held in Santiago de Chile (see photo). Dr. Murphy spoke on stereotactic radiosurgery of the brain in adults and children using RapidArc, a new software system from Varian which significantly reduces treatment times. Dr. Mundt spoke on the role of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) in clinical practice. Drs. Mundt and Murphy are frequent lecturers for Varian, the largest producer of radiation oncology equipment in the world.

May 2009
Aladar Szalay PhD Appointed Professor of Radiation Oncology
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Aladar Szalay PhD as Professor. He will be in the Division of Radiation Biology and Biotechnologies and serve as Director of the Genelux Institute for Integrated Therapies and Diagnostics. Dr. Szalay has been on the faculty of multiple prestigious institutions, including the Cal Tech, Cornell University, the University of Alberta, Loma Linda and the University of Wurzburg. He is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Genelux Corporation, a La Jolla-based biotechnology company. A pre-eminent scientist and educator, Dr. Szalay has published over 160 scientific articles and has served as the Thesis Advisor for over 40 graduate students and as Research Coordinator for over 45 post-doctoral fellows and research associates. He presently supervises a laboratory of over 15 graduate students.

April 2009

April 2009
Radiation Oncology Faculty Present at Encinitas Rotary Club
Dr. Arno J. Mundt, Professor and Department Chair, spoke at the monthly meeting of the Encinitas Chapter of the Rotary Club. Dr. Mundt presented on novel non-invasive approaches in the treatment of cancer as well as provided an overview of the new UCSD-Encinitas Radiation Oncology Treatment Center which opened in September 2008. Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders dedicated to humanitarian service. Overall, there are over 1.2 million Rotarians in the world belonging to over 33,000 chapters in 166 countries. The Encinitas Rotary Club includes many notable business and professional leaders in the North County community.

April 2009
UCSD Faculty Lecture at Kiwanis Club
Dr. Arno J. Mundt, Professor and Department Chair, was an invited speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Rancho Bernardo. Dr. Mundt spoke on advances in the field of radiation oncology and also novel non-invasive cancer treatments including stereotactic radiosurgery. He also introduced the Kiwanis to the new and exciting developments at the Moores Cancer Center and the recent opening of the Encinitas Treatment facility. Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers whose mission is to serve the children of the world. With over 260,000 adult and 320,000 youth members, the Kiwanis have over 8,000 clubs in 25 countries.

April 2009
New Genelux Research Studies Published
Two new publication by Aladar Szalay PhD and fellow Genelux Researchers were published this month in the journals Molecular Medicine and Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy. The initial study entitled A Novel Recombinant Vaccinia Virus Expressing the Human Norepinephrine Transporter Retains Oncolytic Potential and Facilities Deep Tissue Imaging is particularly important for it demonstrates that the vaccinia virus GL-1h68 developed at Genelux can be modified to carry the human norepinephrine transporter gene allowing infected tumors to be imaged using PET without adversely impacting on the therapeutic efficacy of the virus. Genelux Corporation is a La Jolla-based biomedical company which has recently formed an affiliation with the UCSD Department of Radiation Oncology. Recruitment of basic science faculty is underway to explore novel interactions between vaccinia and radiation.

April 2009
UCSD Faculty Publishes New Pediatric Radiosurgery Study
Dr. Kevin Murphy, Chief of the Pediatric and Cranial Stereotactic Radiosurgery Services, along with UCSD co-authors Joshua Lawson MD (Radiation Oncology), Sassan Keshavarzi MD, Charles Newman MD, Michael Levy MD and Hal Meltzer MD (Neurosurgery), published a new pediatric study in the journal Child’s Nervous System, the official journal of the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery. Entitled “Initial Clinical Experience with Frameless Optically Guided Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Radiotherapy in Pediatric Patients”, this study focuses on the use of stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy in adolescents with brain tumors using the Varian Trilogy System which avoids the need for a rigid head-frame bolted to the patient’s skull (see photo). In a cohort of 9 children with various brain tumors, these authors found that this approach was feasible and associated with favorable outcomes. This study represents the first reported series in the world using this approach in children.

March 2009

March 2009
UCSD Faculty Gives RAD Technology Talk at ACRO Meeting
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, gave an invited lecture on novel approaches to building new cancer centers at the annual meeting of the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) held in Las Vegas. His lecture focused on the novel technology developed by RAD Technology consisting of a fully shielded and re-locatable radiation treatment center. The new Radiation Oncology/PET-CT Center in La Jolla was built by RAD Technology and will be opening soon (see photo). For an up to date view on this project, check out the construction site's webcam which updates ever 10 minutes. For more information on the modular construction please visit RAD Technology’s website.

March 2009
UCSD Faculty Participate in “Meet the Professor Lunch” at ASTRO Spring Refresher Course
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, and Catheryn Yashar MD, Associate Professor and Chief of the Gynecologic and Breast Cancer Services, were invited to participate in the “Meet the Professor Lunch” at the 2009 Spring Refresher Course sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) held here in San Diego (see photo). The ASTRO Refresher Course highlights important topics each year of interest to residents and practicing radiation oncologists. Drs. Mundt and Yashar are internationally recognized experts in the application of novel radiation oncology modalities in the treatment of women with gynecologic cancers, particularly image-guided and intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Other invited professors included Jeff Michalski (Washington University) and Christopher Crane (MD Anderson Cancer Center).

March 2009
UCSD Faculty named ARRO Global Health Initiative Mentor
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, has been named a Global Health Initiative Mentor by the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO), a non-for-profit group dedicated to improving the quality of education for radiation oncology residents. The Global Health Initiative is a new program whereby 6-8 radiation oncology residents throughout the United States will be able to rotate at international radiation oncology centers, many in the developing world. The pilot program is the center in Colima Mexico being developed jointly by the UCSD Department of Radiation Oncology and the Instituto Estatal de Colima. Other potential rotation sites include centers in Argentina, Ecuador, Costa Rica, India and China. Jay Loeffler MD, Harvard University, was also named an ARRO Global Health Initiative Mentor.

March 2009
UCSD Researchers Submit 20 Abstracts to ASTRO
The Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) and Department Faculty, Post-Doctoral PhDs, Graduate Students, NIH Fellows and Students submitted 20 research abstracts to the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to be held early November in the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. ASTRO (notice the new name, same old abbreviation) is the largest organization devoted to Radiation Oncology in the world with over 10,000 members including physicians, administrators, physicists, etc. These abstracts focus on a wide variety of subjects including IGRT, adaptive RT, brachytherapy, IMRT, and SRS. This is truly a tremendous accomplishment and all those involved deserve our hearty congratulations. Click here to see the list of abstracts.

March 2009
UCSD Faculty Lecture at ASTRO Spring Refresher Course
Catheryn Yashar MD, Chief of the Breast and Gynecologic Oncologic Services, was an invited speaker at the 2009 Spring Refresher Course sponsored by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) held here in San Diego. Dr. Yashar presented a review of the role of radiotherapy in endometrial cancer. An acknowledged expert on gynecologic cancers, Dr. Yashar completed training in Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as a 2-year fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology, prior to her training in Radiation Oncology. The ASTRO Refresher Course highlights important topics each year of interest to residents and practicing radiation oncologists. Other diseases included this year were prostate cancer and gastrointestinal tumors.

March 2009
Dr. Murphy Promoted to Associate Professor
We are pleased to announce that Kevin Murphy MD will be promoted from Assistant to Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology effective July 1st 2009. Dr. Murphy is the Chief of the CNS, Cranial Radiosurgery and Pediatric Oncology Services in the Department. After completing his Radiation Oncology Residency at the University of Chicago, he was a member of the X-Ray Medical Group in San Diego and worked at Sharp Memorial and Grossmont Hospitals prior to his recruitment to UCSD in 2005. Dr. Murphy is the Director of Strategic Development in the Department as well as the Chief Strategy Officer at Genelux Corporation, a La Jolla-based Biotechnology Company and developer of novel oncolytic viral treatments in patients with cancer.

March 2009
Dr. Sandhu Promoted to Professor
We are pleased to announce that Ajay Sandhu MD will be promoted from Associate to Full Professor of Radiation Oncology effective July 1st 2009. Dr. Sandhu is the Chief of the Genitourinary and Lung Cancer Services in the Department. After completing his Radiation Oncology Residency at the University of Rochester, he served on the Radiation Oncology faculty at that institution and later at Eastern Virginia University prior to his recruitment to UCSD in 2005. Dr. Sandhu also completed a Brachytherapy fellowship at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom and a Radiosurgery Fellowship at the University of Rochester.

March 2009
Dr. Yashar Promoted to Associate Professor
We are pleased to announce that Catheryn Yashar MD will be promoted from Assistant to Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology effective July 1st 2009. Dr. Yashar is the Chief of the Breast and Gynecologic Oncology Services as well as the Chief of the Brachytherapy Service. After completing her Radiation Oncology Residency at the University of Louisville, she was a member of the faculty at that institution until she was recruited to UCSD in 2006. A recognized expert in the treatment of breast and gynecologic cancers, she is also boarded in Obstetrics and Gynecology and completed a 2-year fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Louisville prior to training as a Radiation Oncologist.

March 2009
UCSD Faculty Gives Plenary Talk at ACRO Meeting
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, gave a plenary lecture at the annual meeting of the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) whose annual meeting was held in Las Vegas. In a talk entitled “IGRT in Gynecologic Malignancies: Current Status, Future Directions”, Dr. Mundt reviewed the use of image-guided technologies for both target delineation and in-room treatment monitoring as they apply to women with gynecologic cancers. Dr. Mundt is an internationally recognized expert in novel radiotherapy technologies and their application in gynecologic cancers and is a frequent invited speaker at seminars and symposia in the United States and abroad. He is also the co-editor of the soon to be published IGRT textbook entitled IGRT: A Clinical Perspective which includes contributors from 77 institutions in 20 countries.

March 2009
UCSD Faculty Serves on ACRO Board of Chancellors
Dr. Arno J. Mundt, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, attended the Board of Chancellors Meeting at the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) meeting held in Las Vegas in conjunction with the annual meeting (see photo). ACRO is an important professional society for American Radiation Oncologists with over 800 members. Dr. Mundt is currently in his second year of a four year term as an ACRO Chancellor and serves as Vice-Chair of the Membership committee. Other ACRO Chancellors include Omar Salazar, David Beyer, David Diamond, and Paul Wallner.

March 2009
UCSD Researchers Visit Varian Headquarters
Steve Jiang PhD, Loren Mell MD, Arno J. Mundt MD and Todd Pawlicki PhD recently visited Varian Medical Systems Headquarters in Palo Alto to present their current research. UCSD is the proud recipient of a Varian Master Research Agreement (MRA) which helps fund the UCSD Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) including several post-doc fellowships. Two main projects are funded under the Varian MRA including investigations into markerless gating for patients with lung cancer and on-line adaptive radiotherapy for women with cervical cancer. Steve Jiang and Loren Mell are Co-Directors of the Division of Technologic and Medical Research and CART.

March 2009
UCSD Faculty Attend ASTRO Advocacy Date
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Chair of the UCSD Radiation Oncology Department, attended the 2009 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Advocacy Day in Washington DC. ASTRO Advocacy day allows radiation oncologists to learn about important healthcare legislative issues from experience Washington policymakers. Dr. Mundt and fellow California Radiation Oncologists met with senior healthcare staffers for California Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. A highlight was meeting with senior staff of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. In addition, Dr. Mundt met with staffers from Representative Susan Davis’ office who is the current Congresswomen from the 53rd District here in San Diego.

March 2009
Radiation Oncology Department Welcomes New Post-Doc Fellow
The Division of Technologic and Medical Research in the Department of Radiation Oncology is pleased to welcome a new Post-Doc Fellow, Xuejun Gu. Dr. Gu completed her doctoral studies in Biomedical Engineering at the Columbia University and is focusing her current research on the use of high performance computing for real-time on-line adaptive radiotherapy. She is also a member of the Center of Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), the research arm of the Department of Radiation Oncology. Her faculty supervisor is Steve Jiang, PhD, Associate Professor and CART Co-Director.

March 2009
UCSD Chairman Attends SCAROP Meeting
Dr. Arno J. Mundt, Professor and Chair, attended the annual meeting of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiation Oncology Programs (SCAROP) held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington DC (see photo). SCAROP allows increased interactions between Chairs at academic radiation oncology departments throughout the country. Topics discussed included Hospital Support for Radiation Oncology, Start-Up Faculty Researcher Packages, and the Radiation Oncology Institute. The keynote address was delivered by Howard Brody MD PhD, from the Institute for Medical Humanities, University of Texas Galveston on Industry Relations.

March 2009
Radiation Oncology Faculty and Staff Participate in “Breath for Hope” Walk
Ajay Sandhu MD, Professor and Chief of the Lung Cancer Service, Polly Nobiensky RN, Lung Cancer Case Manager and Carmen Ayala LCSW, Radiation Oncology Social Worker, participated in the 1st annual “Breath for Hope” 5K walk held in downtown San Diego (see photo). Organized by the Lung cancer advocacy group Lung Cancer Alliance, the walk attracted over 1500 participants and raised over $150,000 for lung cancer research. The walk was sponsored by the LUNGevity Foundation, a national program providing grants for innovative lung cancer research.

March 2009
UCSD Radiation Oncology Clinic Recognized for Excellent Performance
The UCSD Radiation Oncology Clinic was recognized by the UCSD Medical Center for excellent performance. Metrics used in their assessment were a variety of patient-oriented endpoints including timeliness of answering phone calls, new patient physician availability, low rate of bumped patient appointments, and the percentage of patients who recommend the clinic. The Medical Center is very committed to quality recognizing high performing clinics each month with breakfast bagels delivered to the department staff throughout the month.

March 2009
UCSD Researcher Highlighted in Pathways Newsletter
Steve Jiang, PhD, Co-Director of the Division of Technologic and Medical Research and Co-Director of the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), was highlighted in the UCSD Cancer Center Quarterly Newsletter Pathways for his recent award of a $1.5M research grant by the University of California Lab Research Program. Entitled “Adaptive Radiotherapy Based on High Performance Computing”, the grant focuses on the development of methods to rapidly adapt the radiation therapy plan everyday on-line with the patient on the treatment couch. This grant was awarded by the University of California Office of the President and is collaboration with the San Diego Supercomputer Center and Lawrence Livermore Laboratories.

March 2009
New Radiation Oncology and PET-CT Center Nears Completion
The new Radiation Oncology and PET-CT Center adjacent to the Moores Cancer Center in La Jolla is nearing completion. Built using a novel modular construction technology developed by Rad Technology, the center will be ready to open in the coming months. This center will include expanded clinic and office space, PET-CT, 2 new vaults with linear accelerators including a Varian research linac, and conference room space, significantly increasing the size of the current facility within the Moores Cancer Center. Check on the progress of this center on a webcam that updates every 10 minutes.

March 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish New SRS Study
Josh Lawson MD, Assistant Professor and Chief of the Stereotactic Body Radiosurgery Program, has published a new study analyzing the efficiency of multi-leaf collimator-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) using the Varian Trilogy Linear Accelerator. In collaboration with Emory Researchers Timothy Fox PhD and Ian Crocker MD, Dr. Lawson analyzed the time required to perform SRS on 510 patients treated at Emory University since 2005. Overall, the vast majority of patients were successfully treated within a 30 minute time slot. These results provide valuable benchmarks for clinic efficiency as well as question the rationale for a dedicated SRS unit even in a busy Radiation Oncology center.

March 2009
Dan Scanderbeg PhD Joins UCSD Faculty
We are pleased to announce that Daniel Scanderbeg PhD will be joining UCSD as a clinical Medical Physicist and Assistant Professor in July 2009. A graduate of the University of California San Diego (B.S. Physics, 2000, M.S. Physics, 2001 and PhD Materials Science and Engineering, 2007), Dr. Scanderbeg was the first Medical Physics Resident at UCSD and will be completing that program in June 2009. Dr. Scanderbeg is already an accomplished researcher having published numerous studies on the use of the novel breast brachytherapy device SAVI. He will serve as Chief of the Brachytherapy service in the Department and work closely with physicians treating patients with breast cancer, CNS tumors and prostate cancer.

March 2009
UCSD Leaders Visit Colima Mexico
Arno J. Mundt MD, Department Chair, Kevin Murphy MD, Director of Strategic Development and Casey Sandack MBA, Chief Business Development and Administrative Officer, were in Colima Mexico visiting representatives from the Instituto Estatal de Colima (see photo) and from the Colima State government. The Department is currently in negotiations to establish a satellite Radiation Oncology Center (UCSD Radiation Oncology de Colima) within this new state-of-the-art Cancer Center. Located on the west coast of Mexico, this new center would be the first international satellite of the department and offer tremendous opportunities for educational exchanges, training and research.

March 2009
Al Gore Receives Revelle Prize
Former Vice-President Al Gore was the first recipient of the UCSD Roger Revelle Prize. Seen in the photo with UCSD Chancellor Marye Ann Fox, Al Gore was awarded this prestigious prize earlier this month for his work raising awareness of global warming. Roger Revelle was a mentor of Mr. Gore at Harvard University and was one of the first scientists to investigate the phenomenon of global warming. At the ceremony was Mrs. Revelle, the widow of Roger Revelle, who would have been 100 on the day of the awards ceremony.

March 2009
Cervical Cancer Study Presented at Winter SGO Meeting
Catheryn Yashar MD, Chief of the Gynecologic Oncology Service, and her colleagues from the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, presented the results of a cervical motion study at the 14th Annual Winter Meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Oncology in Squaw Creek. This study quantified intra-fraction motions of the cervix in patients with cervical cancer cancer undergoing radiotherapy. Intra-fraction motion was detected by measuring shifts in implanted gold seeds imaged immediately prior to and immediately following treatment. On average, shifts were approximately 5 mm; however, maximum shifts were as great as 2.3 cm. These results are important for efforts to apply conformal treatment to these patients.

March 2009
UCSD Researchers Submit 16 Abstracts to AAPM
Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) and Department Faculty, Post-Doctoral PhDs, Graduate Students, NIH Fellows and Students submitted 16 abstracts to the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) to be held July 26-30 in at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim California. AAPM is the largest international organization devoted to clinical and translational research in Medical Physics. These abstracts focus on a wide variety of topics including image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) in lung cancer, stereotactic brain radiosurgery, quality assurance, bone-marrow sparing IMRT in gynecologic cancers, and breast brachytherapy among others. This is a tremendous accomplishment and all those involved deserve our congratulations.

March 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish New Breast Cancer Study
Dan Scanderbeg PhD, Senior Medical Physics Resident, and Catheryn Yashar MD, Chief of the Breast Cancer and Brachytherapy Service, published a new breast cancer study in the journal Brachytherapy. Entitled Unexpected toxicity in a patient treated with 3D conformal accelerated partial breast radiotherapy, this study highlights significant sequelae seen in a breast cancer patient treated with 3D conformal partial breast irradiation (see photo). Partial breast irradiation (PBI) is becoming an increasingly popular approach in the treatment of early stage breast cancer. Despite the paucity of data supporting 3D conformal approaches, it is the most common PBI technique used on the ongoing NSABP B-39 trial. This study provides a cautionary example why this modality should be regarded as experimental until additional outcome data are obtained. Co-authors on this study included Sonia Gupta (Department of Radiation Oncology, George Washington University) and Mitch Kamrava (National Cancer Institute).

February 2009

February 2009
San Diego Desert Wildflowers in Full Bloom
Every spring the deserts around San Diego County come alive with wildflowers. And 2009 is no exception. Transformed by winter rains, the rugged landscape becomes literally carpeted with flowers. One of the best spots for Spring Wildflower vieweing is Anza-Borrego State Park, 2 hours East of San Diego. The largest State Park in California (and the second largest in the continental United States), Anza-Borrego is world famous for its wildflowers (see photo). The wildflower show peaks in early March and continues later at higher elevations. For more information, contact the Wildflower Hotline at 760-767-4684.

February 2009
UCSD Researchers Publish New IGRT Lung Cancer Study
Tong Lin PhD, a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the UCSD Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), together with CART Post- Doctoral Fellow Ruijiang Li PhD and CART Co-Director and Co-Director of the Division of Technologic and Medical Research Steve Jiang PhD, published a new IGRT lung cancer study in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Entitled “Markerless gating for lung cancer radiotherapy based on machine learning techniques”, this study evaluated various machine learning techniques including principal component analysis and support vector machine in the treatment of lung cancer patients with stereotactic body radiotherapy. A major focus of CART is the development and testing of markerless gating techniques in lung cancer patients obviating the need for placement of fiducial markers.

February 2009
Radiation Oncology Chair Joins UCSD Academy of Clinician Scholars
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Department Chair, has been elected to the UCSD Academy of Clinician Scholars, a body of distinguished faculty recognized by their peers for exceptional clinical skills, commitment to patient care, medical education and the advancement of medical knowledge. Under the leadership of David Guss MD, Professor and Chair of the Emergency Medicine Department, the academy is comprised of 65 current faculty members and promotes clinical scholarship and clinical excellence in healthcare delivery. Also newly elected to the Academy is Neil Finer MD, Chief of the Division of Neonatology.

February 2009
New Genelux Research Study Published
A new publication by Aladar Szalay PhD and fellow Genelux Researchers was published this month in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. Performed in collaboration with investigators from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York) and the Rudolf Virchow Center for Experimental Biomedicine at the University of Wurzburg (Germany), the study is entitled “Regression of human pancreatic tumor xenografts in mice after a single systemic injection of recombinant vaccinia virus GLV-1h68” and presents promising pre-clinical results of the efficacy of the replication-competent GLV-1h68 vaccinia virus against human pancreatic cancers in cell culture and nude mice. Genelux Corporation is a La Jolla-based biomedical company which has recently formed an affiliation with the UCSD Department of Radiation Oncology. Recruitment of basic science faculty is underway to explore novel interactions between vaccinia and radiation.

February 2009
UCSD Researcher Publishes New IGRT Study
Tong Lin PhD, Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), Division of Technologic and Medical Research published a new IGRT study in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. Entitled “Flouroscopic tumor tracking for image-guided lung cancer radiotherapy”, this study presents a novel marker-less tumor tracking algorithm which employs the correlation between the tumor position and surrogate anatomic features in the image. Development of accurate marker-less tracking approaches is a major focus of CART and potentially offers patients with primary and metastatic lung tumors a truly non-invasive treatment option. This work was performed in collaboration with CART researchers Steve Jiang PhD and Laura Cervino PhD.

February 2009
Radiation Oncology Department Welcomes New NIH Fellows
The Division of Technologic and Medical Research, Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART) in the Department of Radiation Oncology is pleased to welcome three NIH fellows: Sameer Nath, Brent Rose and Danny Simpson (see photo). All three are senior University of California San Diego (UCSD) medical students who have been accepted into the Masters in Advanced Studies in Clinical Research Program, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The program offers select senior UCSD medical students structured, graduate-level training in clinical research methods and protocols. Under the mentorship of CART faculty, the three will be focusing on different research radiation oncology projects over the next year.

February 2009
UCSD Faculty Lectures at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles
Arno J. Mundt, Professor and Department Chair, was an invited visiting professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles (see photo). He presented a lecture entitled “IMRT and IGRT: Current Status and Future Directions” to the Department and guests. A pioneer of the use of IMRT and IGRT in gynecologic tumors, Dr. Mundt is a frequent invited speaker on these topics in symposia and seminars throughout the United States and the world. He also met with the faculty as well as with the residents. Currently, Dr. Mundt is co-editing a textbook on IGRT entitled “IGRT: A Clinical Perspective”, which includes contributors from over 75 institutions in 19 countries.

January 2009

January 2009
UCSD Faculty Lectures at LARS/SCROS Meeting
Arno J. Mundt, Professor and Department Chair, was an invited speaker at the 61st Annual Midwinter Meeting of the Southern California Radiation Oncology Society (SCROS) held in conjunction with the Los Angeles Radiologic Society (LARS) at the Universal City Sheraton on January 24-25. Dr. Mundt presented 3 lectures including updates on Endometrial Cancer, IMRT in Gynecological Malignancies and Perspectives on IGRT in Gynecological Cancers. A pioneer of the use of IMRT and IGRT in gynecologic tumors, Dr. Mundt is a frequent invited speaker on these topics in symposia and seminars throughout the United States and the world. He is also the Co-editor of an international textbook on IMRT entitled IMRT: A Clinical Perspective. His new book on IGRT will be published later this year and includes contributors from over 75 institutions in 19 countries.

Endometrial Cancer
IMRT in Gynecological Malignancies
Perspective on IGRT in Gynecological Cancers

January 2009
UCSD Researcher Publishes New Esophageal Cancer Study
Todd Pawlicki PhD, Director of the Division of Clinical Medical Physics, is a co-author on a new esophageal cancer study published in the journal Diseases of the Esophagus, the official journal of the International Society of Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE) (see photo). Entitled “Preoperative versus postoperative RT for locally advanced GE junction and proximal gastric cancers: a comparison of normal tissues radiation doses”, this study explores the potential dosimetric benefit in reducing dose to normal tissues by using preoperative rather than post-operative radiation therapy. Significant reductions in dose to the lungs and heart were seen with the preoperative approach. This study was co-authored by Stanford researchers Albert Koong MD and Karen Goodman MD.

January 2009
Department Chair Named a 2008 “Top Doctor for Cancer”
Arno J. Mundt MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, was listed in the 2008 Edition of Castle Connolly’s “America’s Top Doctors for Cancer”. Physicians are selected for this honor based on their nomination by peers and an extensive review of their credentials by a physician-led research team. Only 19 Radiation Oncologists on the West Coast were highlighted including the Chairs of the Departments of Radiation Oncology at Stanford, the University of California San Francisco and the University of Washington. Other UCSD Cancer Center members listed included Ted Ball MD (Hematology), Robert Weisman MD (ENT), and AR Moosa (Surgery). Dr. Mundt was also listed an a Top Doctor for Cancer in the 2007 Edition and a Top Doctor by both the Chicago Magazine (2006) and the San Diego Magazine (2008).

January 2009
CART Co-Director Receives Accolade
Three research papers from the research group of Steve Jiang PhD, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Advanced Radiotherapy Technologies (CART), were ranked in the top 10 most highly cited papers in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology over the last 5 years. Ranked No. 3 was a paper entitled “Synchronized moving aperture radiation therapy (SMART): average tumor trajectory for lung patients” (Neicu et al. 2003;48:587) (70 citations). At No. 6 with 57 citations was “An experimental investigation on intra-fractional organ motion effects in lung IMRT treatments” (Jiang S B et al. 2003;48:1773) and at No. 7 with 56 citations was “Prediction of respiratory tumor motion for real-time image-guided radiotherapy” (Sharp et al. 2004;9 425). Toni Neicu and Greg Sharp were postdoctoral fellows under Steve Jiang in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Harvard University.

January 2009
CART Researcher Publishes New IGRT Study
John Lewis, CART researcher and UCSD graduate student, published a new IGRT study in the journal Physics in Medicine and Biology.
Entitled “A Theoretical Model for Respiratory Motion Artifacts in Free-Breathing CT Scans”, this study presents a model that explains the source of motion artifacts in free breathing CT scans and the relationship between such artifacts and the motion parameters of the scanner, treatment couch and tumor/organ. Understanding of the relationship between the translational table velocity and the maximum tumor/organ velocity may one day provide the means to mitigate certain types of motion artifacts. This study was co-authored by CART Co-Director Steve Jiang PhD. Click here to learn about other research projects underway in CART and the Department of Radiation Oncology.

January 2009
New Genelux Research Study Published
An important new publication performed by Genelux Researchers was published this month in the International Journal of Cancer. Performed in collaboration with researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering, this study is entitled Real-Time Intraoperative Detection of Melanoma Lymph Node Metastases Using Recombinant Vaccinia Virus GLV-1h68 in an Immunocompetent Animal Model. Melanoma frequently metastasizes to lymph nodes and this novel method improves the ability to detect such metastases at the time of surgery, improving the staging and treatment of patients. Genelux Corporation is a La Jolla-based biomedical company and manufacturer of the novel oncolytic virus GL-ONC1. Kevin Murphy MD, Director of Strategy and Business Development and the Chief of the Stereotactic Radiosurgery and Pediatric Oncology Programs in the Department, has joined Genelux earlier this year as the Chief Strategy Officer. Recruitment of basic science faculty is underway to explore novel interactions between oncolytic viruses and radiation.