Radiation Oncology
How to Contact Us:
We are on the basement level of the Outpatient Center. Our entrance is under the bridge to the West Tower, and the closest parking is in the West Parking Structure. Torrance Memorial Medical Center is located at 3330 Lomita Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505
Link to map
Our office is open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 310-517-4750
Fax: 310-784-4886
The physicians may also be contacted through the Medical Center operator 310-325-9110 for emergencies.
What Information Do We Need?
We ask that your referring physician provide us with pertinent reports of pathology and imaging studies. If you have copies of films yourself, please bring them with you. Also bring a list of your current medications and your insurance information. Family members or close friends are welcome to accompany you to your consultation and treatment appointments.
Your Consultation Day
You will be assessed first by one of our nurses, and we will ask you to complete a health questionnaire. You will meet with the radiation oncologist for a review of your medical history and physical examination. He or she will review your pathology and pertinent films. Further testing will be arranged as needed. We will discuss the role of radiation therapy for your disease process - its potential benefits as well as any side effects to expect.
If radiation therapy is indicated, we will book a planning appointment for you, usually within a few days of the consultation. We will coordinate our therapy with any other treatments you may be undergoing. The length of your total treatment varies widely depending on the tumor type, site, and goal of treatment. Typically, patients are treated daily, about 10 minutes per day, for a course of 2 to 7 weeks.
We are happy to answer questions for you at this first meeting, or at any time during your treatment and followup. You will not receive radiation on this consultation day. Expect to spend approximately 2 hours with us.
The Planning Process
You will have a "Simulation" appointment to plan your radiation therapy. You will be positioned on a treatment couch, and if appropriate, we will use specialized immobilizing devices to help keep you very still but as comfortable as possible during your treatments. Ordinary x-rays are usually taken. We may also perform a CT, MRI, or PET scan for our computer planning process. This planning process helps us to maximize dose to cancer cells and minimize dose to healthy tissue.
We usually give you tiny blue permanent tattoos at this session to ensure accurate set-up for each treatment. These also provide a permanent physical record of where you received radiation.
The planning session is usually between 45 minutes and 2 hours. No radiation treatment is given, as we need time to plan your case fully. Your first treatment is usually 2 to 3 working days after your simulation appointment. The course of treatment varies significantly depending on the type of cancer, but is usually between 2 and 7 weeks.
How Does Radiation Work?
The treatment radiation ("photon beam") we use is exactly the same kind of beam that is used in ordinary chest x-rays or CT scans, but it has much more energy. It can cause tiny breaks in the gene code (DNA) of the cells. Both normal tissue and tumor tissue will undergo these tiny breaks in the DNA molecules, but our normal cells repair their DNA better than tumor cells do. The beam is invisible and you do not feel it passing through you. External beam radiation is a local treatment - it only works where we aim the beam. The radiation does not circulate through your body and your family and friends are not exposed to any radiation by being in close proximity to you.
For some cancers we use an "implant" to deliver radiation. For early prostate cancers for example, we sometimes place tiny radioactive "seeds" to give a high dose of radiation within the prostate. Or for some gynecologic cancers we place temporary radioactive rods within the vagina or uterus.
Quality Assurance
Every aspect of your treatment planning and delivery is given meticulous attention so that you are treated efficiently and accurately, with as few side effects as possible.
Our physicists, dosimetrist and radiation therapists conduct daily, weekly and monthly checks on our equipment to ensure optimum performance. Our physicists only accept a variation of 2% or less in the output of our linear accelerators.
We also have a weekly QA meeting, with the physicians, nurses, physicists, dosimetrist, and head therapists. We review EACH patient's treatment in detail each week.
You will be assessed daily by your therapists while on treatment, and weekly by your radiation oncologist, to help manage any side effects.
Adverse Effects
The toxicity of the treatment varies widely depending on the treatment site, the dose delivered, and patients' pre-existing conditions. Your radiation oncologist, nurse and therapist will discuss the likely side effects of your particular treatment with you.
Support Services
We have developed a close network of professionals who provide psychosocial and physical support to patients undergoing cancer treatment. Our dietician, Kathy Rehnquist, is available for individual consultation through the course of your radiation. Physiotherapists and social workers are often called upon. Home Health and Hospice is available if needed. The Torrance Memorial Cancer Resource Center is located in Torrance Memorial's West Wing, just above our department. We also are active participants in the Wellness Community of the South Bay. Please do not hesitate to ask for a referral.
Follow-up
Your radiation oncologist will see you approximately 2 weeks after your radiation is completed, and then at intervals appropriate to your disease process. We will coordinate our followup with that of your other physicians.