Radiation Oncology Residency - Facility and Department

The City of Hope Radiation Oncology Residency Program is a four-year, ACGMEaccredited program (PGY2 through PGY5) Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) .  The program maintains a total complement of eight residents, with two residents accepted annually. The curriculum includes three years of comprehensive clinical training supported by 6–11 months of dedicated translational or clinical research time, which may also include approved elective rotations based on individual educational goals.

City of Hope is recognized worldwide for its compassionate patient care, innovative science and translational research, which rapidly turns laboratory breakthroughs into promising new therapies. We are one of the few facilities designated as Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute, and U.S. News & World Report has named City of Hope one of the top cancer hospitals in America. City of Hope is also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. 

On our park-like campus just northeast of Los Angeles, City of Hope Helford Clinical Research Hospital brings groundbreaking research and compassionate care under one roof. It embodies our mission to deliver the newest, most promising therapies to patients without delay, while creating an environment that encourages open collaboration between physicians, caregivers and clinical researchers.

City of Hope's Department of Radiation Oncology treats more than 900 patients each year. The department is equipped with state-of-the art technology, with facility renovation underway.  The department offers the full spectrum of radiation therapy modalities, including:

  • External beam radiation therapy with high-energy photons and electrons.
  • 3-D Conformal Radiation Therapy
  • IMRT -- Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
  • IGRT -- Image Guided Radiation Therapy
  • SGRT -- Surface Guided Radiation Therapy
  • IORT -- Intraoperative Radiation Therapy
  • ART --Adaptive Radiation Therapy
  • Stereotactic Radiosurgery
  • SBRT --Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy
  • Total Body and Total Marrow Irradiation in conjunction with a Bone Marrow Transplant
  • Brachytherapy with LDR and HDR techniques
  • Treatment with Unsealed Sources, including targeted radiopharmaceuticals and radio-immunotherapy
 
Therapy Equipment 
 
  • Reflexion X1
  • One Accuray RadiXact
  • One Accuray Helical TomoTherapy
  • One Varian 21EX dual energy (6 MeV and 10 MeV), 120 MLC linear accelerators with multiple electron capability and IMRT
  • One Varian TrueBeam
  • One Varian TrueBeam STX
  • Elekta high dose-rate after-loader for interstitial and intracavitary implants.
  • Variety of low dose-rate sources available for implantation.
  • Ultrasound guided equipment for permanent prostate seed implants.
 
Planning / Verification Equipment
 
  • Large bore16 slice CT-Simulation unit, dedicated for treatment planning
  • GE 8 slice PET/CT simulator dedicated to planning and response assessment
  • GE 3T MRI dedicated to radiation oncology planning and response assessment
  • Varian Eclipse Treatment Planning System
  • Accuray Precision Treatment Planning System
  • Reflexion Treatment Planning System
  • Aria Radiation Oncology Management System
 
Treatment Equipment to be added soon
 
  • RefleXion PET/CT Biology Guided Radaition Therapy System
  • Ethos System designed for adaptive radiation therapy
 
Conferences
 
Residents will be required to attend various radiation oncology conferences each week, as well as multidisciplinary conferences. An integrated, multidisciplinary approach to patient management is stressed. 
 
Multidisciplinary clinics or tumor boards occur in breast cancer; GU/prostate cancer, sarcomas, head and neck cancers; thoracic malignancies; pediatric cancers; gynecological malignancies; gastrointestinal cancers; central nervous system cancers; and lymphomas. There is frequent interaction between all specialties which care for these patients including medical oncology, pediatric oncology, general surgery, head and neck surgery, the bone marrow transplantation service, pain service, neurosurgery, gynecological oncologists, thoracic surgery, and other ancillary services.