The ROB is critical to the overall care of cancer patients in the Intramural Research Program and provides radiation therapy as well as general oncology consultation for patients admitted to the clinical center. This has allowed numerous collaborations and/or interactions with the Surgery Branch, Urologic Oncology Branch, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Medical Oncology Clinical Research Unit (GU, GI, Head and Neck, Breast, Gyn cancers), Neuro Oncology Branch, Dermatology Branch, Metabolism Branch, and the Radiation Biology Branch. These collaborations extend beyond merely treating patients with radiation in that the talented physician/scientists assembled in the ROB are outstanding oncology research scientists who can articulate the latest findings in radiation biology research to the larger oncology paradigm. The ROB is a close partner with the newly organized CCR Molecular Imaging Program with a number of planned radiation treatment/imaging protocols in development and interacts closely with the extramural Cancer Imaging Program (DCTD). A solid collaboration is in place with the Molecular Radiation Therapeutics Branch (DCTD) directed at enhancing radiation efficacy using novel agents (such as proteosome inhibitors, HDAC inhibitors, HIF inhibitors, and others). Pre-clinical collaborations have been productive with the Tumor Immunology and Biology Laboratory establishing radiation exposure as an innovative improvement to vaccine therapy. The ROB maintains a strong radiation oncology residency program in association with radiation oncology departments at Walter Reed Army Hospital and Navy Medical Center, training the next generation of radiation oncologists/scientists. The residents receive clinical training in a one on one setting with the clinical faculty as well as participate in multiple settings that include lectures, didactics, journal clubs, and formal classes in medical physics and radiobiology. Trainees from the Radiation Oncology Residency Program have enjoyed significant success in both academic and private practices. The Branch will move its clinical operation to the new CRC in late April. The new clinic will have two modern duel energy linacs, a stereotactic radiosurgery suite, a high dose rate afterloader, and a CT-simulation suite. Because the ROB is consulted by CCR and NIH clinics, a variety of tumors are treated. However, over the past three years, the clinical research focus of the Branch has been in the areas of head and neck, brain and prostate cancer. The branch is also in the process of establishing a gynecologic clinical service to primarily treat cervical malignancies (a protocol is in revision before the IRB). This along with the head and neck clinical services present a vehicle to move new radiosensitizing agents into phase I studies from both the Molecular Radiation Oncology Section
