The UCSD Department of Radiation Oncology, in conjunction with the UCSD Medical Center and School of Medicine, has broken ground for construction of a radiation oncology center at the San Diego Cancer Center in Encinitas, a move that will improve access in the North County to the most powerful and advanced radiation-therapy technology available.
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Helping to launch construction of the new UCSD Radiation Oncology-North County facility are (L-R) Mary Ann Rose, M.D., Arno J. Mundt, M.D., and Tom Jackiewicz, all of UCSD; and Mark Adler, M.D., and Daniel Vicario M.D., both of San Diego Cancer Center.
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The new center will feature the Trilogy linear accelerator, the same sophisticated technology used at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center in La Jolla. The Trilogy by Varian, Inc., offers virtually unmatched precision, power and speed in pinpointing and destroying tumors deep inside the body. It has the ability to conform the radiation dose to the exact size and shape of a tumor in three dimensions, reducing doses to adjacent healthy tissue. Such treatment reduces the risk of toxicity and provides the ability to safely deliver higher than conventional doses, improving long-term tumor control.
“Radiation therapy is a very demanding treatment regimen. Patients receiving therapy often undergo daily treatments for up to six or seven weeks,” said Arno J. Mundt, M.D., professor and chair of the UCSD Department of Radiation Oncology and member of the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. “We want to provide a more convenient location for patients in North County and beyond who want to access the university’s state-of-the-art technology, with reduced travel time.”
Mundt and Mary Ann Rose, M.D., who will be the center’s medical director, are already seeing patients for consultations and follow-up visits in clinical space UCSD is sub-leasing from the San Diego Cancer Center, at 1200 Garden View Road in Encinitas. The new construction, estimated to take approximately six months, will involve excavating adjacent space to house the Trilogy linear accelerator.
“The establishment of this wonderful satellite facility is the result of a great team effort by UCSD and the San Diego Cancer Center, both of which are committed to providing excellent medical care and state-of-the-art technology to the residents of North County,” said Tom Jackiewicz, associate vice chancellor for UCSD Health Sciences.
UCSD’s Department of Radiation Oncology provides a broad range of radiotherapies to patients with cancer. With a focus on technology development, Mundt and his team of experts are bringing patients promising new therapies that simply aren’t yet available in many other places. The department is based at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center, which is one of just 39 centers in the United States to hold a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center. As such, it ranks among the top centers in the nation conducting basic, translational and clinical cancer research, providing advanced patient care and serving the community through innovative outreach and education programs.
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Media Contact: Leslie Franz, 619-543-6163, lfranz@ucsd.edu