San Jose Native Returns to Bay Area to Care for Patients Fighting Cancer

For Victor Chen, MD, MPH, joining the team at the Washington Radiation Oncology Center (ROC) in Fremont felt like coming home.

The radiation oncologist was born and raised in San Jose and recently relocated to take a position at the ROC, part of the UCSF-Washington Cancer Center. He previously worked at The Oregon Clinic in Portland. “A big motivation to come to this health system is that my family still lives in the area,” says Dr. Chen.

“I wanted to come back and care for my hometown,” he adds. “It’s where I grew up, where my parents live. The hometown nostalgia pulled me back. My old dentist office when I was growing up is still diagonally across the street from the ROC! It’s nice to be back in the Bay Area.”

Another draw to the radiation oncology center was its connection to the world-class resources of the UCSF-Washington Cancer Center. Dr. Chen, who is certified by the American Board of Radiology, is a faculty member at UCSF but devotes all his time to seeing radiation oncology outpatients in Fremont. He also mentors medical trainees of all levels who shadow him at the center.

The Highest Level of Care

An additional appeal of joining the UCSF-Washington Cancer Center was its investment in the latest technology and advancements, including its newer linear accelerator. Dr. Chen is especially enthusiastic about equipment that monitors a patient’s respiratory motion during radiation treatment, which is particularly helpful for lung and breast cancer patients.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) delivers the most advanced form of radiation, providing safer and more effective treatment customized to the tumor and internal anatomy. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) uses extremely targeted beams of radiation to treat a tumor while sparing surrounding tissue. “With SBRT, we can safely deliver more radiation dose per day, so patients require fewer treatments,” notes Dr. Chen.

Dr. Chen knew in high school that he wanted to be a doctor and is the first in his extended family to enter the medical field. His family immigrated to the Bay Area from Taiwan many years ago. Aspiring to become a doctor, he attended the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) as part of the Caltech-UCSD Medical Scholars Program, allowing students to directly matriculate into medical school at UCSD after completing their undergraduate degrees. “I was always interested in anatomy and biology and wanted to become a doctor to help people in their time of need,” he says.

Dr. Chen earned his medical degree at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, followed by a one-year internship in general surgery at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance. He then completed a four-year radiation oncology residency at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where he also earned a master’s degree in public health (MPH).

“During my residency, I also studied for my MPH,” he says. “I was very interested in social determinants of health and health disparities.” Dr. Chen looks forward to caring for Fremont’s diverse population and is particularly interested in health care for minorities and LGBTQ patients.

“I gravitated to radiation oncology because I like to work with patients with cancer,” he explains. “It’s a diagnosis that the entire family goes through, and I like to help with the medical, emotional, and spiritual needs of my patients.”

Being a radiation oncologist also allows him to collaborate with a care team to benefit patients, something he finds very fulfilling. “All of medicine is team-based, but radiation oncology is more so,” he shares. “I work with the surgical team, the medical oncology team, nurse navigators, support staff, and all the medical physicists and radiation therapists who work behind the scenes. We have a fantastic staff here, and we’re constantly interacting with each other. It’s that teamwork that gives each patient the most customized treatment for their particular type of cancer.”

Dr. Chen continues, “My care is evidence-based and patient-centered. Those are the two phrases that I live by. I’m not here to tell a patient what to do, but rather to inform them of what the standard of care and national guidelines are. I want to give them all the information and then discuss their cancer with them so they can make the best choices.”

Treating Patients as Family

“What I tell patients is that I will recommend to them what I would tell my family members if they were sick. I treat each one as if they were my sibling or parent. Each diagnosis is individualized and customized. We don’t paint with broad brush strokes. Each tumor is different, and the medical information people read online may not apply to them.”

What is particularly hopeful, he explains, is that the treatment of cancer isn’t what it used to be. “Every year there are more treatments and clinical trials available.” At the cancer center, there’s always a member of the care team available to talk to patients. “Everyone is monitored during treatment as we guide patients through their therapy,” emphasizes Dr. Chen.

When Dr. Chen isn’t working with patients, he enjoys the outdoors, hiking, and exploring the beauty of the Bay Area. “That was another big draw to Fremont—its proximity to national parks. My bucket list is to see every U.S. national park. I’ve been to about 25 and look forward to visiting more.”