USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center Opens Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging Center

Keck Medicine of USC - Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging will be the first Orange County facility to offer innovative biology-guided radiation therapy, which interacts with cancer cells to send up-to-the-minute “signals” identifying where cancer cells are in the body

USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, has opened Keck Medicine of USC - Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging, a state-of-the-art radiation oncology and imaging center, at 4590 MacArthur Blvd. in Newport Beach. The 12,500-square-foot clinical space houses new-to-market imaging and radiation therapy technology in a serene, beach-inspired space designed to help patients feel at ease.

“Our new radiation oncology and imaging center demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing Orange County with world-class care,” said Rod Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine. “We recognize the importance of keeping cancer care close to home and are proud to expand our presence in the community.” The center is equipped with positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) imaging and computed tomography (CT) scanners for diagnosis, treatment simulation and monitoring, as well as two state-of-the-art linear accelerators to deliver precision radiation therapy treatment.

Keck Medicine of USC - Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging will be the first clinical site in Orange County, and just the third in California, to offer SCINTIX biology-guided radiation therapy (BgRT) using the new-to-market RefleXion X1 system.

Unlike other types of radiation therapy that use static images of a patient’s anatomy to map treatment areas, BgRT is the first and only radiation therapy delivery modality that uses a PET radiotracer compound that, once injected into the body, interacts with cancer cells to send up-to-the-minute “signals” about the location of cancer cells, even as the patient breathes or moves slightly. This helps radiation oncologists track, target and treat cancer cells in real time while minimizing damage to healthy cells, which may alleviate some of the side effects of radiation.

BgRT also eliminates the need for placing markers (tiny metal objects positioned inside the patient in or near cancerous tissue to identify where to deliver treatment), as well as enables radiation oncologists to more efficiently treat multiple tumor locations in the same course of therapy.

BgRT recently received breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating lung tumors and is currently approved for certain patients with lung and bone tumors.

Keck Medicine will install a second X1 system with BgRT at a medical facility in Pasadena opening later this year. It will be the first university-based academic institution to offer BgRT at multiple locations, bringing new cancer treatment options to the Los Angeles area, Orange County and surrounding communities.

“This groundbreaking technology enables us to provide the best possible care and offer treatment for patients whose options may be very limited,” said May Lin Tao, MD, radiation oncologist and director of clinical operations, regional radiation oncology clinics, with Keck Medicine. Tao is also clinical associate professor of radiation oncology with the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “We are thrilled to be the first to offer this revolutionary and potentially life-saving treatment to patients in Orange County.”

Keck Medicine of USC - Newport Beach Radiation Oncology and Imaging is less than 15 minutes away from USC Norris’ oncology locations in Newport Beach and Irvine, where patients can make appointments with respected medical oncologists who have served Orange County for decades and who treat more medical oncology outpatients in Newport Beach than any other provider.

“This new location expands our spectrum of cancer services in Orange County, ranging from diagnostic imaging to multiple treatment options that optimize outcomes and provide personalized radiation medicine,” said Eric Chang, MD, radiation oncologist with Keck Medicine and chair and professor of radiation oncology with the Keck School.

“The addition of this new location means so much for our patients and their loved ones,” said Louis Vandermolen, MD, medical oncologist with USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, practicing in Newport Beach. “Our convenient location near our medical oncology offices means that our patients can truly benefit from multidisciplinary, collaborative care from doctors they know and trust.”

Information sourced from Keck Medicine of USC. To learn more, contact [email protected].