James M Larner, MD
Radiation Oncology
Additional Locations
Bio & Overview
James Larner, MD, serves as chair of the University of Virginia Department of Radiation Oncology. He also serves as president of the University of Virginia Physicians Group (UPG).
After graduating from the UVA School of Medicine, Dr. Larner completed residencies in internal medicine, with subspecialty training in hematology and medical oncology, as well as in radiation oncology at Thomas Jefferson University.
His clinical interests are neuro-oncology, including gamma knife radiosurgery, and thoracic oncology.
Dr. Larner is the past chair of the NIH Radiation Therapy and Biology Study Section. And for over a decade, he was a co-leader of the Genetics and Epigenetics program at the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Larner is dedicated to both caring for cancer patients and finding ways to improve care.
His research interests include DNA damage-sensing pathways, radiation injury, radiosensitizers (drugs that make tumor cells more responsive to radiation therapy), prostate cancer, gliomas (brain tumors) and lung cancer.
When he is not in the lab or clinic, Larner plays racquet sports, restores houses and travels. He claims he spoils his son by allowing him to select where they travel each year. Some of Larner’s favorite destinations include Mauritius, Thailand, Andora, Uruguay and Japan.
Academic Information
- Department
- Medicine
- Academic Role
- Professor
- Division
- Radiation Oncology
- Research Interests
- Neuro-oncology, DNA damage-sensing pathways
- Gender
- Male
- Languages
- English
- Age Groups Seen
- Adults (21-65)
Older Adults (65+)
- Primary Education
- University of Virginia School of Medicine
- Residency
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals
- Fellowships
- Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals, Albert Einstein Medical Center
- Certification
- American Board of Radiology (Radiation Oncology), American Board of Internal Medicine (Hematology), American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), American Board of Internal Medicine (Internal Medicine)
- Appointment
- Chair - Department of Radiation Oncology
Highlights
Dr. James Larner profile video
[MUSIC PLAYING] JAMES LARNER: I'm James Larner, professor and chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at UVA. I've been in the oncology business close to 30 years. What appealed to me about radiation oncology is it's the most active drug, if you consider radiation a drug. It's really a physical agent. It's a stretch to consider it a drug. But in addition to being highly active, we can target it precisely. So the patient benefit is extraordinary. One of the most frustrating problems in practicing oncology is resistance. With standard chemotherapy and targeted therapies, cancer cells almost always become resistant to these agents. On the other hand, cancer cells hardly ever become resistant to radiation. We have pioneered the use of stereotactic body radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. We developed one of the original algorithms that predicts toxicity. That algorithm is now nationally used. We've treated several hundred patients with SBRT with extraordinarily good results. Cancer care has become incredibly complex in the last decade with different treatment options. At UVA, we have a weekly thoracic oncology team that meets and vigorously debates what is the optimal treatment for each patient.
Awards
- 2015 One of America's Top Cancer Doctors, Newsweek®
- 2015 Bedside Manner Award, Our Health Magazine; Third place
- 2012 Best Doctors in America® List
Reviews
237 Patient Satisfaction Ratings
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