The radiation oncology department at the California Cancer Center provides leading-edge cancer therapy and compassionate patient care in close collaboration with pathologists, oncologists, surgeons and other cancer specialists. We use the latest devices and procedures to provide patients with the best possible results.

Our physicians continually work to advance treatment options for our patients by seeking knowledge on the latest practices in radiation therapy and treatment methods.

Below are some of the services we offer:

Radiation Therapy
Targets malignant tumors and cancerous tissue through the use of ionizing radiation, which destroys cancer cells while leaving surrounding healthy tissue with the ability to recover. Radiation therapy is often combined with chemotherapy (medication) to treat many cancers.

Radioimmunotherapy
Specifically targets tumors and cancerous cells by attaching radioactive atoms to antibodies. These antibodies then seek out proteins found on cancer cells and deliver highly effective, cancer destroying doses of radiation.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery/CyberKnife
An advanced form of radiation therapy in which a three-dimensional model of the affected body part is created and a precise, high-level dose of radiation is delivered to cancerous lesions. California Cancer Center currently uses the state of the art CyberKnife system, which is accurate to within one millimeter. This treatment can be performed in an outpatient setting. With CyberKnife, patients experience no pain, no incision, no anesthesia and require minimal recovery time. 

Three-dimensional treatment planning and IMRT
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) uses a device called a linear accelerator to deliver precise radiation therapy to cancerous tumors. The linear accelerator delivers hundreds of tiny beams of radiation while rotating around the patient, pinpointing cancer cells while avoiding healthy tissue.

Brachytherapy and Prostate Brachytherapy
Involves placing high-energy radioactive materials (e.g., needles, seeds, tubes, etc.) in, on, or near a tumor to deliver concentrated doses of radiation. Depending upon the prescribed course of treatment, these materials can be left in the affected area for varying lengths of time.

In prostate brachytherapy, small radioactive “seeds” about the size of a grain of rice are placed throughout the prostate and left there permanently. Though effective in destroying cancer cells, over time, the seeds gradually lose their radioactivity, causing no long-term effect on the patient. Brachytherapy treatment is usually done in an outpatient setting. 

Partial Breast Irradiation (PBI)/SAVI
PBI is a form of radiation therapy that treats just the breast tumor area rather than the whole breast after a lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer. Treatments are usually twice a day for four to five days. Whole breast radiation therapy involves five to seven weeks of daily treatments.

Lung Nodule Program
This program, developed through a collaboration of Community Regional Medical Center and UCSF Fresno, is one of only a handful in the country. The goal of the Lung Nodule Program is to provide optimal diagnosis and management of lung cancer at all stages using a coordinated multidisciplinary approach. Patients are evaluated by the Lung Nodule team (including pulmonology, diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, pathology, and vascular and interventional radiology) in an expedited manner, with the goal of each patient being seen within a week of referral. Benefits of this program include early detection and timely treatment of lung cancer, consideration for minimally invasive surgery, consideration for CyberKnife therapy, and optimizing treatment of late-stage lung cancer.
For referrals and more information, call (559) 224-LUNG (5864).