Newswise — LOS ANGELES -- Marc Botnick, MD, a board-certified radiation oncologist with more than 20 years of experience managing all cancer types, has been named regional medical director for Radiation Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. His primary clinical practice site will be at Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Radiation Oncology, but he will work closely with physicians throughout the enterprise.
“Dr. Botnick has been one of the best and most established radiation oncologists in the San Fernando Valley for many years and he is well regarded throughout the Los Angeles region,” said Howard Sandler, MD, chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology. “His appointment as regional medical director and faculty member in the Department of Radiation Oncology is an exciting development for Cedars-Sinai and for patients throughout the region seeking treatment for a variety of cancers.”
Botnick comes to Cedars-Sinai from City of Hope. He completed his residency training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, during which he spent a year focusing on brachytherapy, a type of internally delivered radiation therapy primarily used for treating prostate and gynecological malignancies.
“Brachytherapy was the initial method of using radiation to manage malignancies, but the implant radiation of today is by no means the same as it was in decades past,” Botnick said. “New methods of dose delivery and advanced treatment planning software have made treatment more targeted than it once was, and often outpatient rather than requiring days in the hospital.”
Other aspects of radiation oncology have also changed significantly since Botnick began practicing. “We can now focus beams in a much more discreet and focused fashion, allowing us to treat sites in the body that we couldn’t previously treat safely or effectively,” Botnick said. “We are also capable of planning and administering treatment in a shorter period of time with better results and fewer side effects.”
Botnick said he looks forward to maintaining his large clinical practice but is also excited about working with physicians throughout the area to develop a collaborative network.
“I believe that I am able, through my experience, to coordinate among facilities, to optimize their practice and to promote good communication among clinicians, so that patients feel assured that they will receive efficient, careful and mindful radiation oncology treatment throughout the Cedars-Sinai Cancer enterprise,” Botnick said. “I also want to develop strong relationships with physicians in other subspecialties and help them develop their own connections with the community.”
“As regional medical director, Dr. Botnick will support the development of a regional radiation oncology strategy and promote the growth, development and integration of enterprisewide radiation oncology services and protocols across Cedars-Sinai Health System,” said Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and PHASE ONE Foundation Distinguished Chair. “He is a key addition to our faculty and our plan to continue bringing top-quality cancer care and clinical trials to patients throughout the region.”
Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Radiation—Your Questions Answered
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