Physicians and scientists from the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center will share new research and clinical trial findings at the 2026 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, including studies on new treatment approaches for prostate, bile duct and head and neck cancers, personalized radiation therapy based on genetic risk, and advances in targeted radiation and radioligand therapy designed to improve cancer control while limiting treatment side effects.
Dr. Daniel Low , professor and vice chair of medical physics research and innovation in the department of radiation oncology at UCLA, is being awarded the 2026 ASTRO Gold Medal , the organization’s highest honor. Low was selected for his outstanding contributions to the field of radiation oncology through research and professional service. Low will be recognized during the Awards Ceremony on Sept. 29.
Additionally, Dr. Luca Valle , associate professor of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been selected to receive the 2026 ASTRO-PCF Young Investigator Award from the ASTRO and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Dr. Jie Deng , assistant professor-in-residence of radiation oncology, has been awarded an American Cancer Society Clinician Scientist Development Grant , co-sponsored by ASTRO and designated in honor of Felix Feng, MD, an expert in translational genomics and preclinical therapeutics for prostate cancer.
“Radiation oncology continues to evolve rapidly, and the research our faculty are presenting this year reflects the breadth of innovation across our department, from more personalized approaches to treatment to new ways of combining radiation with other therapies,” said Dr. Michael Steinberg , professor and chair of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of Clinical Affairs at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “These studies demonstrate how advances in technology, biology and clinical research are shaping the way we approach cancer treatment and care.”
Highlights of noteworthy presentations by UCLA faculty at ASTRO include:
A study led by Dr. Amar Kishan , executive vice chair of radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Dr. Joanne Weidhaas , professor of radiation oncology and vice chair of molecular and cellular oncology at UCLA, validates a genetic test that can identify men with prostate cancer who are at higher risk of developing long-term urinary side effects after stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). The test, called PROSTOX, looks at inherited genetic differences that may affect how a patient responds to radiation. In a prospective clinical trial, using PROSTOX to guide treatment reduced the risk of moderate to severe urinary side effects, in part by directing high-risk patients to a longer course of radiation instead of SBRT. The researchers also analyzed data from four clinical trials involving 457 men and found that patients classified as high risk by PROSTOX were about 36 times more likely to develop late urinary side effects than those classified as low risk. The findings suggest genetic testing could help doctors personalize radiation treatment and better counsel patients about their risk of long-term side effects. The research will be presented by Kishan on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 3:45 pm in Room 210.
Abstract 1238: Genetic markers may help predict side effects and survival in head and neck cancer
Weidhaas will present findings from a study showing that inherited genetic differences may help identify patients with head and neck cancer who are more likely to experience serious side effects from radiation and chemotherapy or have shorter overall survival. The researchers analyzed genetic and clinical data from 171 patients treated with radiation and cisplatin in a large clinical trial. They found that models combining genetic markers with clinical factors were better than clinical information alone at predicting both short- and long-term treatment side effects. The models also identified patients at higher risk of dying within four years, with a median survival of 2.25 years compared with 4.46 years among those predicted to be at lower risk. The findings suggest that genetic testing could eventually help doctors identify patients who may need closer monitoring or different treatment approaches. Weidhaas will present the research on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9:15 am in Room 156.
Dr. Trudy Wu , assistant professor of radiation oncology at UCLA, conducted a retrospective analysis spanning 14-years of clinical data, suggesting that MRI-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can provide strong and lasting local control for patients with unresectable cholangiocarcinoma, a cancer of the bile ducts, while they await liver transplantation. For patients being evaluated for liver transplantation, which can involve a lengthy waiting period, radiation may offer an important way to control the tumor while they receive systemic therapy and await a donor organ. The study reviewed 38 patients who received MRI-guided SBRT followed by chemotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy at UCLA while being evaluated for transplantation. Eleven patients ultimately underwent liver transplantation and had significantly longer overall survival than those who did not, with a median survival of about 150 weeks (compared with 94 weeks). Among patients who underwent transplantation, more than one-third had no remaining cancer detected in the liver at the time of surgery. The radiation treatment was also generally well-tolerated, with most patients reporting no radiation-related side effects. These findings highlight the potential role of precise, MRI-guided radiation as a well-tolerated treatment to control an otherwise unresectable tumor and help patients maintain control of their disease while they pursue liver transplantation. Wu will present the research on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 5:30 pm in Room 259.
Dr. Esther Yu , a radiation oncology resident at UCLA Health, will present findings on two approaches for treating men whose prostate cancer has returned in a small number of locations while avoiding or limiting hormone therapy. The study compared patients who received metastasis-directed SBRT alone with those who received SBRT combined with either a targeted radioligand therapy called 177Lu-PSMA or a combination of hormone-blocking drugs. Both combination approaches significantly delayed cancer progression compared with SBRT alone, with a median time to progression of 19.4 months with SBRT plus radioligand therapy and 21.7 months with SBRT plus hormone therapy, compared with 6 months with SBRT alone. The two combination approaches produced similar results, while grade 3 or higher side effects occurred in 10% of patients receiving SBRT plus radioligand therapy compared with 21% of those receiving the hormone therapy combination, although the difference was not statistically significant. The findings suggest that radioligand therapy combined with SBRT may offer another way to delay cancer progression while limiting the use of hormone therapy. The research, led by Kishan and Dr. Nicholas Nickols , assistant professor of radiation oncology at UCLA, will be presented by Yu on Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 8:05 am in Room 253.
View the complete list of UCLA abstracts here .