Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center

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Medicine is making great strides in the battle against cancer. By researching the genetic causes of the disease and providing patients access to new treatments through clinical trials, the physicians and researchers at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center are helping give many people with cancer a second chance at life.

The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center: Patient-Centered, World-Class Cancer Care

Located on the UC Irvine Medical Center campus, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is affiliated with the School of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine. As a university-based facility, the cancer center offers the expertise of a scientific community that is internationally renowned for its work in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is committed to providing the most comprehensive care possible through a world-class multidisciplinary team. By combining the efforts of researchers, surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, pharmacists, social workers and dietitians, the cancer center addresses the disease on all levels.

Patients at the cancer center receive comprehensive clinical evaluation using a wide range of advanced technology including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT scans, fiber-optic endoscopy, X-rays and biopsies. The cancer center's team of specialists pinpoints the extent of the disease and identifies appropriate therapies. Working closely with patients and their families, the team discusses treatment options and encourages questions.

What Is Patient-Centered Care?

The compassionate professionals at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center offer patients and their families emotional support and strategies on coping with the physical and emotional changes during and after treatment. We provide services such as physical, occupational and speech therapy; nutritional guidance; and psychological counseling to help people with cancer achieve independence and maintain their self-esteem. For patients faced with acute and chronic pain, a multidisciplinary pain management program is available, drawing on the expertise of anesthesiologists, neurologists, pharmacologists and other specialists.

Hospital, Home and Hospice Care

If hospitalization is necessary, the resources of UC Irvine Medical Center are only steps away. The medical, nursing, and professional service staff of this 462-bed facility is consistently ranked among the top in the nation. And if home care or hospice care is needed, the cancer center team members can make arrangements for these services.

Expert Treatment

The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center offers convenient access to a wide range of advanced treatment methods, including minimally invasive surgery. UC Irvine Healthcare’s surgical oncology teams are respected worldwide for pioneering highly precise and minimally invasive techniques. Gamma knife surgery, an advanced radiosurgical procedure, provides patients with a no-incision treatment for brain anomalies.

Radiation therapy - Aided by sophisticated scans and state-of-the-art planning computers, the cancer center's radiation oncologists attack tumors using the most advanced linear accelerators available, including the PEACOCK System. This innovative technology delivers different doses of radiation simultaneously, allowing precise, three‑dimensional radiotherapy that conforms to the exact shape and size of tumors with minimal effect on healthy tissue. Radiation implants are also used when appropriate.

Chemo- and hormonal-based therapy - Researchers at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center helped discover new chemotherapy and hormone options to treat and prevent the recurrence of cancer. The cancer center is also a member of several national research consortiums providing access to new treatment therapies not widely available.

Immunotherapy - Biological response modifiers are used in an effort to stimulate the body's natural resistance to cancer cells. UC Irvine researchers have contributed to studies that may lead to new immunotherapeutics.

Bone marrow transplantation - Bone marrow transplants and peripheral stem cell therapy are performed when large doses of chemotherapy or radiation is needed to treat patients.

Specialties and Subspecialties

Each of the more than 200 types of cancer requires highly specialized treatment for the patient. Clinical researchers at the cancer center work together to study cancer in all its forms, providing patients with some of the most innovative approaches available to fight the disease. The following types of cancer are among the cancer center’s treatment specialties and subspecialties:

Breast - Ductal and lobular (invasive and non-invasive) carcinoma, cystosarcoma phylloides tumors, pre-malignant fibrocystic conditions and Paget's disease.

Lung - Tumors of the lung (both non-small cell and small cell), cancers of the tracheobronchial tree and esophagus – which includes access to advanced stenting and laser therapies for unresectable tumors; photodynamic therapy, national diagnostic and chemotherapeutic trials and an array of state-of-the-art surgical interventions.

Gastrointestinal - Esophagus, pancreas and stomach cancers,

Colon and rectum - Colorectal cancer.

Neurologic - Childhood and adult tumors, including brain tumors.

Gynecologic - Cancers of the ovary, uterine corpus and uterine cervix.

Vulvar - Cancer of the vulva and fallopian tubes.

Orthopedic - Pediatric and adult bone cancers and soft tissue sarcomas.

Head and neck - Larynx, oral cavity, throat and pharynx cancers.

Skin - Melanoma and non-melanoma.

Liver - Hepatocellular and bile duct cancers.

Urologic - Prostate, bladder, testes and kidney cancers.

Education and Prevention

Even though research has made great advancements in treating cancer, prevention and early detection is still critical fighting the disease. Researchers at the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center are currently conducting extensive research on cancer prevention, with a strong emphasis on community outreach and education.

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