Rafael Santana-Davila, MD
Located at
Originally from Mexico City, I was drawn to my career in medicine because of two things: the inspiration and influence of my father — an accomplished physician himself — and my interest in the science of the human body. I developed a fascination with trying to understand why cancer develops. As an oncologist, I have the privilege of helping patients go through one of the most difficult phases of their lives. They teach me life lessons every single day. I’m indebted to them for helping me focus on the joys of life.
My goal is to provide you and your family the most up-to-date, clear information about your disease, prognosis and treatment options, including the latest in clinical trials. Then we can work together to make decisions that are compatible with your beliefs and values. I believe it is my responsibility to provide compassionate, state-of-the-art care within a multidisciplinary team. Because I want to continue seeing advances in therapeutic options for my patients, I’m dedicated to ongoing research and next-generation immunology treatments.
Provider background
Specialty: Medical Oncology
Head and neck cancers, thoracic cancers
I am a medical oncologist who specializes in treating patients with lung and head and neck cancers. In the last decade, there’s been significant progress in the way we treat these cancers. Exciting new therapies have proven to be effective. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still so much work to do — and that’s why I’m committed to ongoing research.
My interests include harnessing the immune system in treating virus-associated cancers and designing and implementing clinical trials to establish new, life-saving treatments. I’m also interested in studying how patients in the general population — those who do not have access to cancer centers — are treated in order to figure out how to best bring the most recent advances in care to these individuals. My published papers explore a variety of topics, such as treating cancers in elderly and obese patients, combining immunotherapies and treating small-cell and non-small cell lung cancers.
Diseases treated
Stories
The first thing Steve wants to share when talking about his lung cancer diagnosis and treatment is how wonderful the staff at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – Proton Therapy have been. “The people are just phenomenal,” he says. “The radiation therapists were so warm, kind and friendly, they made you feel like you are part of the family. I can’t say enough about how grateful I am.”
Research
Clinical trials
We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch doctors. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch 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.
Publications
Many of our Fred Hutch doctors conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other doctors and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch provider has written.
Your care team
Insurance
Fred Hutch 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.
