A Ray of Hope In Cancer Treatment...
Welcome to the Department of Radiation Oncology at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. For many people, the facts about cancer and its treatment are shrouded in mystery. At Saint Francis we strive to dispel the myths and provide patients with factual information that helps focus their energies on getting well.
Radiation therapy can be used in treating cancer in almost every part of the body. In fact physicians treat half of all cancer patients with radiation therapy. Radiation therapy can also be used before surgery to shrink a tumor, or after surgery to prevent the growth of any remaining cancer cells, or in combination with chemotherapy to help eradicate cancer cells.
Saint Francis has two Linear Accelerators: A Varian 600C and a Varian iX equipped with Millenium Multileaf Collimation and digital portal imaging. We custom design each patient's treatment on our state-of-the-art Philip's Pinnacle treatment planning system. The treatment plan can range from simple or complex to 3D conformal or IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radio Therapy), depending on the patient's tumor and normal tissues in the treatment area. Our physicians are dedicated to giving each patient the best possible treatment available to us. We also have an Orthovoltage unit to treat skin lesions and we provide Radioactive Iodine-131 pills to treat thyroid diseases.
To ensure patient safety we have implemented bar coding (IMPAC) in the department. Each patient is assigned an ID card with a bar code specific to them. The bar code is scanned to alert the staff that the patient has arrived and then scanned again in the treatment room to verify the correct treatment plan is loaded on the linear accelerator for that specific patient. Our goal is to communicate with each patient in their own language. We have translator phones available throughout the department and interpreting services on site. Members of our staff are fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish and Tagalog. We even have a part-time Chinese interpreter on staff to help to with our new patient consults.
At Saint Francis Memorial Hospital quality patient care includes attending to the patient's personal needs as well as their medical needs. We provide a variety of services to the patient during treatment and post-treatment follow-up.
Meet our Radiation Oncologists:
John L. Meyer, MD, FACR, Medical Director
Sara M. Huang, MD
900 Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Lower Level (415) 353-6420
Hours:
Monday through Friday - 8:30am-5:00pm
