Our mission is to advance the field of cancer care through education, research, and development of new technologies.
The Department of Radiation Oncology was established in 2001, and consists of three divisions: Clinical Radiation Oncology, Medical Physics, and Cancer Biology. The department is one of the largest in the United States and a national leader in developing the most recent radiation treatments for cancer patients. These ongoing developments provide an exciting and rich training environment for radiation oncology health care providers.
The department is a component of the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, which provides a rich endowment and remarkable environment for research and technology development. Major new equipment projects have seen the introduction of image-guided therapy as part of routine practice and the establishment of a proton treatment facility. These new initiatives provide patients with the latest cutting-edge technology to treat cancer.
Washington University School of Medicine is ranked among the nation’s top five medical schools. The school is affiliated with Barnes-Jewish Hospital, which is listed among the nation’s top 10 hospitals by U.S. News and World Report. Siteman Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, an honor given to select institutions that offer world-class comprehensive care, perform extensive cancer research, and provide active community education programs. Through affiliation with the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center and Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the Department of Radiation Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine is committed to its patients in all aspects of cancer care. Faculty in the Department of Radiation Oncology provide leadership in Siteman Cancer Center and contribute significantly to developmental therapeutic and clinical trials research. Clinicians and investigators work extensively with partners in the industry to advance the field of cancer therapy.
The Department of Radiation Oncology at Washington University was the first in St. Louis, and the Midwest, to utilize ultrasound-guided permanent seed prostate implants, high dose rate brachytherapy for a variety of anatomical sites, stereotactic radiosurgery, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), three dimensional treatment planning, and clinical trials with radioimmunotherapy.