Siteman Cancer Center Radiation Therapy Recognized for Excellence

Reaccreditation by the American Society for Radiation Oncology underscores Siteman’s enterprise-wide commitment to adult and pediatric patient-centered care

The Department of Radiation Oncology at Siteman Cancer Center, based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and WashU Medicine, has again been recognized as one of the best radiation oncology centers in the nation.

The recognition comes from its reaccreditation by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), whose 10,000-plus members worldwide — physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other healthcare professionals — specialize in treating patients with radiation therapy.

All seven Siteman Cancer Center locations, including Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, earned full reaccreditation from ASTRO’s APEx – Accreditation Program for Excellence^®, through February 2030. APEx recognizes radiation oncology centers that meet rigorous standards for safety, quality and patient-centered care.

“Achieving APEx reaccreditation across all seven of our sites is a monumental operational achievement,” said Sana Karam, MD, PhD, the Elizabeth H. and James S. McDonnell III Distinguished Professor of Medicine and chair of Radiation Oncology at WashU Medicine and at Siteman Cancer Center. “It reflects the relentless commitment of our entire radiation oncology team — our physicists, dosimetrists, therapists, nurses and physicians. Maintaining this uncompromising standard of safety and quality at such a massive scale is a testament to the true collaborative spirit of WashU and Siteman.”

The Department of Radiation Oncology at Siteman has been APEx-accredited since 2017. Additionally, Siteman’s radiation oncology teams at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Memorial Hospital Shiloh earned APEx’s new radiopharmaceutical therapy designation. Radiopharmaceuticals, also known as systemic radiation therapy, this year.

Accreditation through APEx is a voluntary and rigorous multi-step process. The enterprise-wide radiation therapy center at Siteman was evaluated using consensus-based standards. Throughout the process, the Department of Radiation Oncology “demonstrated our continued focus on safety and quality and our commitment to patient-centered care, with an emphasis on effective communication, coordinated treatments and strong patient engagement,” Karam said.