July 16, 2022

As Cancer Center South Bay (CCSB) celebrates its 7th birthday, take a look back on the journey that led to this flourishing satellite campus. When CCSB first opened its doors in 2015, it set a precedent.

“This building is unique in that it is Stanford from the ground up,” Dr. Carol Marquez, director of radiation oncology at CCSB, said. “We send patients back and forth from the main campus where they will send patients down to us for treatment, and vice versa.”

The first completely Stanford-run cancer center was an experiment of sorts- of course, lacking the trademark petri dishes and scans that those in radiation oncology are familiar with. No, this was a social test, an investigation to observe how a massive, cutting-edge institution like Stanford School of Medicine could seamlessly provide cutting edge health care to the communities of the South Bay and beyond. By enlisting local members of the community, the expansion of the Stanford network has been a collaborative effort. CCSB itself has brought on prominent members of the local health care community, and with them, their long standing history of local patient care.

CCSB was established, in part, to bring care closer to those in the Bay Area and surrounding counties who have difficulty commuting to the primary facility in Palo Alto. Patients may not possess the means of transportation, physical ability, or desire to travel great distances for daily treatments, some of which can last for up to eight weeks. So, the solution was clear :  bring the treatment, expertise, and clinical innovation to those who need it. From humble beginnings, the facility is now treating over 50 patients a day with the best equipment and advanced treatment techniques in the field.

Now, the center hosts events, from Biomod Club, an organization bringing together local researchers and guest lecturers to discuss biological modeling through a series of interactive seminars, to the Annual Symposium conference, featuring world-renowned speakers in cancer biology.

The training wheels are off, and the team at CCSB continues to uphold the pledge to deliver the gold-standard of healthcare to the patients and community of the South Bay.