Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Surgical Oncology

Wade G. Douglas, MD, is the only fellowship-trained surgical oncologist in the Tri-State area, and he is one of only about 10 surgeons in the country with fellowship training both in general surgical oncology and surgical head and neck oncology.

Numerous studies by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network have looked at outcomes for cancer patients and have shown that in patients with rectal, esophagus, pancreas, gastric and liver cancers, those treated by surgeons with additional fellowship training tend to have better outcomes in terms of survival and post-operative mortality and morbidity.

The use of minimally invasive techniques is growing in surgical oncology, and Dr. Douglas is well trained in these techniques. He uses intraoperative ultrasound to obtain better margins, identify disease in unexpected places, and guide operations in both minimally invasive and larger, open procedures. Minimally invasive techniques are now used on some solid tumors and in palliative surgery.

Dr. Douglas has a special interest in surgical head and neck oncology, and he has completed an additional fellowship in this area. Head and neck oncology includes treatment of cancer of the larynx, oral cavity, mouth, tongue, sinuses and thyroid gland. It's a specialty that is very technically demanding, with the goal of making patients cancer-free without making surgery extremely disfiguring.

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• Hazel Beer