Washington University Department of Radiation Oncology
Radiation oncology services have a long and rich history at Washington University, dating back to 1951, when the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) first established a radiation therapy section, a relatively new concept in the medical community at the time. After many years of growth within MIR, the Department of Radiation Oncology was formally established in 2001 and has continued to be a leader in patient care and technological innovation.
The department is one of the largest in the United States and a national leader in developing some of the most advanced radiation treatments for cancer patients. We offer the widest range of radiation therapy options in the Midwest, allowing our physicians to tailor treatment to each patient’s needs. We are a national leader in radiation oncology clinical trials and rank as the highest academic accrual site for cooperative group therapeutic trials. The department’s clinical programs consist of several centers of excellence, including brachytherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery and our proton therapy center. Each of our radiation oncologists is clinically specialized, focusing exclusively on two to three types of cancer to best serve our patients. This focus on a few cancers means our physicians have unparalleled expertise.
In 2017, the department received accreditation from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Accreditation Program for Excellence (APEx), highlighting the department’s ongoing commitment to providing safe, high-quality radiation therapy services.
The department is a leader in introducing innovative technologies. It was the first department of radiation oncology in the Midwest to offer proton therapy, ultrasound-guided permanent seed prostate implants, high-dose-rate brachytherapy for a variety of anatomical sites, stereotactic radiosurgery, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), three-dimensional treatment planning, MRI-guided radiotherapy and clinical trials with radioimmunotherapy.
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