Tokyo Women's Medical University

School of Medicine

Radiation Oncology

Overview

Our department aims to study radiation science and clinical oncology from basic to clinical through the diagnosis and treatment process in radiation therapy. Radiation oncology consists of radiation science and clinical oncology, and we provide educations from the viewpoints of medical physics, radiation biology, and radiation health science. We encourage residents to get a certification in a radiology specialty first, and then a radiation oncology specialty, which is responsible for radiotherapy for cancer treatment. In hospital, we determine a multidisciplinary treatment strategy including radiotherapy, through consultations with related departments and considerations on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and nature of the tumor. Furthermore, we are conducting clinical oncology researches, in addition to basic researches, such as engineering study on radiation dose concentration, biological and genetic research on radiation sensitivity of malignant tumors, and epidemiological research on cases treated with radiation therapy.

Education

Students belonging to school of medicine will study an overview of the radiation effects on the human in the first year, and the biological and physical basics of radiation effects, which are fundamentals of radiation oncology, in the second year. The third and fourth years cover the role of radiation therapy in the multidisciplinary treatment of the tumor; and the fifth and sixth years cover its practical application through hospital training.
Residents will be encouraged to study multidisciplinary cancer treatment, including radiotherapy, aiming to become radiation oncologists and clinical oncologists. The number of radiation oncologists is still insufficient nationwide, so we focus on training highly competent radiation oncologists.
Given this background, the goal for senior residents is to obtain a certification as a radiologist firstly, and secondly, to obtain a certification of radiation therapy specialist. Furthermore, in parallel with obtaining a certification of radiation therapy specialist, it is common to obtain a certification from Japanese Board of Cancer Therapy.

Research

Usefulness of hypofractionated irradiation techniques
Research on stereotactic body radiotherapy
Optimal postoperative irradiation method for breast cancer
Research on dose fractionation for prostate cancer
Optimization of intensity-modulated radiation therapy for brain tumors
Optimization of cancer treatment in the elderly
Research on factors associated with radiosensitivity

Faculty

Kumiko Karasawa
Yaichiro Hashimoto
Takayuki Kanai

Graduate School

1. Clinical Oncology
Usefulness of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation for early breast cancer
Research for carbon-ion radiotherapy for early breast cancer
Development of multidisciplinary treatment for refractory tumors
Clinical utility of high-precision radiotherapy by high energy X-ray
Optimization of intensity modulated radiation therapy for prostate cancer
Optimization of intensity modulated radiation therapy for brain tumor
Optimization of stereotactic irradiation for early lung cancer
Optimal postoperative irradiation method for breast cancer

2. Medical Physics
Research for development of ultra-compact proton therapy system
Research and development for visualizing the irradiated area beam and tumor response for proton therapy
Study to improve the accuracy of particle therapy using AI-technologies and multi-modality imaging
Development of a dose verification system for 4-dimensional proton therapy

3. Radiation Biology
Chemical modification of carbon-ion radio-sensitivity for breast cancer
Search of radio-sensitivity modifier on X-ray and charged particle radiotherapy
Development mechanism of late radiation reaction

We are conducting a variety of basic and clinical research. In addition to the research topics listed above, you can choose related topics in radiation oncology in consultation with department staffs.

Related links

Research Achievements Database

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