Get in touch today 206.598.4100 or

Schedule an Appointment

Smith “Jim” Apisarnthanarax, MD

Professor, FHCC-SLU Medical Director and Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs

Overview

Dr. Apisarnthanarax is a radiation oncologist with expertise in gastrointestinal cancers and genitourinary tumors, including prostate cancer. He also specializes in proton therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy, and liver cancer.

Patient Care Philosophy

“Being diagnosed with and treated for cancer is one of the most arduous journeys that any person will experience. Every patient and every cancer is different. As a radiation oncologist, my goal is to guide patients through this difficult time by providing the most compassionate, personalized care possible and making sure they have access to the latest, innovative clinical trials and state-of-art technology.”

Education and Training

College: Brown University, Providence, RI, 1998

Medical Education: Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, Providence, RI, 2002

Internship: Northwestern University – Evanston Hospital, Evanston, IL, 2003

Fellowship: Experimental Radiation Oncology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2005

Residency: Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, 2009

Selected Publications from a Total of 32

Apisarnthanarax S, Elliott DD, El-Naggar AK, Asper JA, Blanco A, Ang KK, Garden AS, Morrison WH, Rosenthal D, Weber RS, Chao KS. Determining optimal clinical target volume margins in head-and-neck cancer based on microscopic extracapsular extension of metastatic neck nodes. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics 64(3): 678-83, Mar 2006. PMID: 16243444.

Eblan MJ, Corradetti MN, Lukens JN, Xanthopoulos E, Mitra N, Christodouleas JP, Grover S, Fernandes AT, Langer CJ, Evans TL, Stevenson J, Rengan R, Apisarnthanarax S. Brachial plexopathy in apical non-small cell lung cancer treated with definitive radiation: dosimetric analysis and clinical implications. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics 85(1): 175-81, Jan 2013. PMID: 22658442.

Apisarnthanarax S, Swisher-McClure S, Chiu WK, Kimple RJ, Harris SL, Morris DE, Tepper JE. Applicability of randomized trials in radiation oncology to standard clinical practice. Cancer 119(16): 3092-3099, Aug 2013. PMID 23674290.

Gandhi SJ, Liang X, Ding X, Zhu TC, Ben-Josef E, Plastaras JP, Metz JM, Both S, Apisarnthanarax S. Clinical decision tool for optimal delivery of liver stereotactic body radiation therapy: Photons versus protons. Practical Radiation Oncology Feb 2015, 10.1016/j.prro.2015.01.004. PMID:25703530.

Fernandes AT, Apisarnthanarax S, Yin L, Zou W, Rosen M, Plastaras JP, Ben-Josef E, Metz JM, Teo BK. Comparative assessment of liver tumor motion using cine-magnetic resonance imaging versus 4-dimensional computed tomography. International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics 91(5): 1034-1040, Apr 2015. PMID: 25832694.

Bowen SR, Saini J, Chapman TR, Miyaoka RS, Kinahan PE, Sandison GA, Wong T, Vesselle HJ, Nyflot MJ, Apisarnthanarax S. Differential hepatic avoidance radiation therapy: proof of concept in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. Radiotherapy Oncology 115(2): 203-210, May 2015. PMID: 25934165.

Bowen SR, Chapman TR, Borgman J, Miyaoka RS, Kinahan PE, Liou IW, Sandison GA, Vesselle HJ, Nyflot MJ, Apisarnthanarax S. Measuring total liver function on sulfur colloid SPECT/CT for improved risk stratification and outcome prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Research 6(1): 57, Dec 2016. PMID: 27349530.

Chapman T, Bowen SR, Schaub SK, Yeung RH, Kwan SW, Park JO, Yu L, Harris WP, Johnson GE, Liou IW, Nyflot MJ, Apisarnthanarax S. Towards consensus reporting of radiation-induced liver toxicity in the treatment of primary liver malignancies: defining clinically relevant endpoints. Practical Radiation Oncology 8: 157-166, May-June 2018. PMID 29426691.

Price RG, Apisarnthanarax S, Schaub SK, Nyflot MJ, Chapman TR, Matesan M, Vesselle HJ, Bowen SR. Regional radiation dose-response modeling of functional liver in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with longitudinal sulfur colloid SPECT/CT: a proof of concept. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2018 Jun 19 pii: S0360-3016(18)31008-3. PMID: 29932945.

Schaub SK, Apisarnthanarax S, Price RG, Nyflot MJ, Chapman TR, Matesan M, Vesselle HJ, Bowen SR. Functional liver imaging and dosimetry to predict hepatotoxicity risk in cirrhotic patients with primary liver cancer. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2018 Aug 28. pii: S0360-3016(18)33615-0. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2018.08.029. PMID:30170100

Research Interests

  • Functional Liver Imaging
  • Optimization of liver cancer radiation therapys: SBRT, protons, liver toxicity mitigation

Educational Involvement

  • Associate Residency Prorgam Director
  • Proton Therapy Fellowship Director
  • Residency Clinical Competency Committee

Professional Involvement

  • Medical Director, SCCA Radiation Oncology
  • Clinical Research Director, Radiation Oncology
  • ABR Oral Board Examiner, GI
  • Vice-Chair ASTRO Radiation Therapy for Primary Liver Tumor Guideline Taskforce