Timeline

Following the discovery of x-ray technology, medicine advanced swiftly and the field of radiation therapy - or the medical use of ionizing radiation for cancer treatment -- began to grow. In the early 1900s Radium was used in various forms for treatment and research; by the mid-1900s cobalt and cesium units came into use. Since the late 1940s medical linear accelerator adopters of new technology, and medical pioneers in and of themselves, put Sacramento on the map with its visionary thinking.

The ROC Milestones

1947 - The first million-volt therapeutic x-ray machine west of the Mississippi installed in RAS' first Radiation Oncology Center.

1960s - ROC physicians play a significant role in the introduction of first medical linear accelerators in the Sacramento Area.

1983 -The first Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) program in the Western U.S. established by the ROC.

1991 - High Does Rate (HDR) Brachytherapy introduced to the Sacramento Valley allowing patients who require brachytherapy to be performed on outpatient basis rather than being hospitalized for 2-3 days.

1996 - Conformal Radiation Oncology treatment is offered to Sacramento area residents at multiple ROC locations. This new technology brings to the community a dedicated 3D CT Simulation Unit and a state-of-the-art 3D computerized treatment planning system.

1998 - Prostate Seed Implants and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery -- the most advanced treatment modalities available anywhere --introduced to the region by The ROC.

2000 - Image-Guided Radiation Therapy with daily ultrasound localization introduced by the ROC.

2001 - Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) available at all RAS radiation oncology center.

2001 - Temporary Seed Implants (HDR) for prostate cancer introduced to Northern California by The ROC.

2002 - Mammosite-based accelerated partial breast irradiation available through the ROC for patients with early staged breast cancer.

2007 - The ROC becomes one of first in the country to provide Calypso™ "GPS For The Body" to treat prostate cancer.

2009 - Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is introduced to the Sacramento Community as a treatment option for medically inoperable lung cancers.

2010 - SBRT Trials in Sacramento help to substantiate the effectiveness of radiation therapy in prostate, lung, liver and spine cancers. The ROC is one of only 4 institutes in the country to enroll patients.

2011 - ROC first in the area to use hypofractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy for prostate cancer in multiinstitutional clinical trial.