Skip to main content
Better together.
Fred Hutch
Seattle Children's
UW Medicine
Enter the terms you wish to search for.

Related Nav

  • Contact Us
  • Donate and Volunteer
  • For Healthcare Professionals

Main navigation

  • New Patients
    • Why Seek Treatment at SCCA?
    • Preparing for Your First Visit
    • Locations
    • Transportation
    • Insurance Coverage and Bills
    • Services and Support
    • Patient Stories
  • Diseases and Treatments
    • Treatment Options
    • Clinical Trials
    • During Your Treatment
    • Coping with Side Effects
    • Palliative Care
    • Self Care
  • After Treatment
    • Coping with After Effects
    • Survivorship Events
  • Resources
    • Resources for Caregivers
    • For Children and Teens
    • Emotional and Spiritual Support
    • Health and Nutrition
    • Services and Support
    • Medical Record Request
Resources for Patients and Caregiviers
Your support team includes nutritionists, emotional support, caregiver resources, and so much more.
Learn more
Real Stories from Real Patients
Our patients share their stories of hope, care and outcomes
Learn more
Help Us Help Future Patients
Our patient advisory board helps us continually improve the patient experience. Join us.
Learn more
Caresi
Patient care app
Caresi® is a personal health app, created by SCCA for you, our patient. With the app, view your schedule, access lab results, contact care teams and review resources.
Learn more

Keith D. Eaton

Keith D. Eaton

Keith D. Eaton, MD, PhD

21 Years of Experience
Top Doctor
The Top Doctor award is a peer-nominated award for providers who give exceptional care.
Service Medical Director
Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
Professor, Oncology; Associate Professor, Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
Clinical Director, Thoracic Head & Neck Medical Oncology
UW Medicine
Associate Member, Clinical Research Division
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Clinical expertise
Thoracic, head and neck
Request an Appointment
Located at
SCCA South Lake Union
Share Print
  • Specialties
  • Testimonials
  • Education
  • Care team
  • Clinical trials
“

Helping people is really important to me. My childhood heroes were Gandhi and Einstein. Now, as a clinician and researcher, I get to connect closely with patients while bringing them leading-edge treatments.

”
— Dr. Eaton

Why did you become an oncologist?

Like many doctors, I was always interested in science. Physics was my forte, and I was passionately studying it in graduate school when I met my wife. I quickly discovered she was doing more interesting things as a medical student than I was, so I decided to attend medical school while also completing my Ph.D. in physics. Though I was interested in primary care, I chose oncology because my nature drives me to become an expert in whatever I do. It’s hard to be an expert in general practice. As a scientist, I love bringing leading-edge science to my patients. As your physician, I’m focused on helping you clearly understand each step of your cancer treatment.

Keith D. Eaton

Specialties and clinical expertise
The branch of medicine a provider practices and their areas of focus

Medical Oncology

Lung cancer

As a principal investigator in many trials, one of the studies I hope to get funded uses positron emission tomography (PET) to guide how chemotherapies are selected for lung cancer patients. There are a number of chemotherapy options, and we don’t really know how to choose which to try first. Without PET, it takes six to eight weeks of treatment before we can evaluate and change the regimen if necessary. PET could show us within a couple of weeks whether a therapy is working or not, but it’ll take a study to prove this. I am also studying the influence of genetic factors in lung cancer, such as why some smokers get cancer while others don’t.

Head and neck cancer

My clinical and research interests include biomarkers and supportive care for head and neck cancer as well as lung cancer. The types of head and neck cancers I treat include thyroid cancer, oral cancer and salivary gland cancer. Because head and neck cancers can be emotionally challenging — affecting your appearance as well as speech and swallowing — my goal is to limit any side effects while working to cure your disease.

Diseases treated

Adrenal Cancer
Head & Neck Cancers
Lung Cancer
Medullary Thyroid Cancer
Mesothelioma
Oral Cancer
Salivary Gland Cancer
Thyroid Cancer
See more See less

Do you have a personal connection with cancer?

In 2012, I was diagnosed with leukemia and was given less than a 5% chance of survival, so I know firsthand how difficult the journey can be and I feel extremely fortunate. Kind of like Harry Potter — I’m the boy who lived. As a survivor myself, I never lose sight of how fortunate I am to help others with their disease. I consider patient education to be one of the most important aspects of my work because it empowers you to make informed decisions and participate fully in your care. I’m known as kind, patient, a good listener and an open, compassionate communicator. I’m committed to answering all your questions honestly and really getting to know you.

Testimonials

Jim Brown
“When I go see Dr. Eaton and I’m anxious or worried, I know that he’s been through the same thing and he knows how I feel. You’ve got to really go the extra mile to get to know your doctor — to get your doctor to invest himself in you — for your doctor to want you to survive as much as you want to survive. That’s what I’ve established with Dr. Eaton.”
— Jim Brown | Dr. Eaton’s patient
Read My Story
Amie Parker
“I felt like I had been seen not just for my tumors and my mutation but for who I was. He’s a cancer survivor himself. I think that gives him a unique perspective on how it feels to go into that first appointment and what you, as the patient, might need.”
— Amie Parker | Dr. Eaton’s patient
Read My Story

Education, experience and certifications

Undergraduate Degree
University of California, San Diego
Medical Degree
University of California School of Medicine, San Diego
Residency
University of Washington, Primary Care
Fellowship
University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Medical Oncology
Board Certification
Medical Oncology, 2003; Internal Medicine, 2001, American Board of Internal Medicine
Other
PhD, University of California School of Medicine, San Diego

Languages

English

Your care team

At SCCA, you receive care from a team of providers with extensive experience in your disease. Your team includes doctors, a team coordinator, a registered nurse, an advanced practice provider and others, based on your needs. You also have access to experts like nutritionists, social workers, acupuncturists, psychiatrists and more who specialize in supporting people with cancer or blood disorders.
See providers with similar expertise
Jennifer E. Jacky
Jennifer E. Jacky, MSN, ARNP, AOCNP
Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner
Advanced Practice Provider
View Profile
Registered nurse (RN)
Your nurse manages your care alongside your physician and assists with care procedures and treatments.
Team coordinator (TC)
Your team coordinator works closely with you and your physician and serves as your scheduler.

Clinical trials

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by SCCA doctors. Many of these trials at SCCA have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your doctor can decide if a study is right for you.
Read our Patient Guide to Clinical Trials
Phase 1/1b Study of MGCD516 in Patients With Advanced Cancer
Study No: NCT02219711
Phase: Phase I
View Trial
Phase 3 Study of Sitravatinib Plus Nivolumab vs Docetaxel in Patients With Advanced Non-Squamous NSCLC
Study No: NCT03906071
Phase: Phase III
View Trial
A Study of XmAb®23104 in Subjects With Selected Advanced Solid Tumors (DUET-3) (DUET-3)
Study No: NCT03752398
Phase: Phase I
View Trial
Trial of Intratumoral Injections of TTI-621 in Subjects With Relapsed and Refractory Solid Tumors and Mycosis Fungoides
Study No: NCT02890368
Phase: Phase I
View Trial
See more clinical trials

Press and news

SCCA providers are often asked to give their medical advice for press and news publications. Read articles by or about this SCCA provider.
Cancer Stories: Dr. Keith Eaton
By KCTS 9 - Published March 24, 2015
View More
Bellevue Biotech, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Partner for Lung Cancer Study
By Puget Sound Business Journal - Published May 26, 2016
View More

Publications

Many of our SCCA physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this SCCA provider has written.
Aldosterone-Secreting Adrenocortical Carcinoma Presenting With Cardiac Arrest.
Read Full Publication
See more publications

Awards

Seattle Met's 2019 Top Doctors award
Dr. Eaton has been recognized as a Top Doctor year after year.
Insurance
SCCA accepts most national private health insurance plans as well as Medicare. We also accept Medicaid for people from Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. We are working to ensure that everyone, no matter what their financial situation, has access to the care they need.
Learn More
Request an Appointment
Share Print
To top
Clinical Trials
  • Phase 1/1b Study of MGCD516 in Patients With Advanced Cancer
  • Phase 3 Study of Sitravatinib Plus Nivolumab vs Docetaxel in Patients With Advanced Non-Squamous NSCLC
Locations
Request an Appointment
Find a Physician

Connect With Us

  • Contact Us
  • Request an Appointment
  • Careers
  • Referring Doctors
  • Phone Directory
  • Press and News
  • Social Media
  • Community Benefit
Follow Us
http://twitter.com/SeattleCCA
http://www.facebook.com/SeattleCancerCareAlliance
http://www.youtube.com/user/SeattleCancerCare
http://www.sccablog.org/
https://www.nccn.org/Members/Profiles/Default.aspx?MemberId=8
https://www.qualitycheck.org/quality-report/?bsnid=328340

SCCA Locations

  • South Lake Union
  • SCCA Issaquah
  • SCCA Peninsula
  • UW Medical Center
  • EvergreenHealth
  • UW Medicine’s Northwest Hospital
  • SCCA Proton Therapy Center
  • Seattle Children's

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
825 Eastlake Ave. E
PO Box 19023
Seattle, WA 98109­-1023

 

 

 

 

Patient Educational Email Invitation Exposes Patient Information

©2004-2019 Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. All Rights Reserved.

footer legal links

  • SCCA Links
  • Privacy Policy
  • Public Care Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Financial Assistance
  • Notice of Nondiscrimination

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and VEVRAA Employer. We are committed to cultivating a workplace in which diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, political ideology, or membership in any other legally protected class. We are an Affirmative Action employer. We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds to apply and desire priority referrals of protected veterans. Read EEO is the Law poster here. 

Better together.
Fred Hutch
Seattle Children's
UW Medicine