Gastrointestinal Cancer

Our gastrointestinal medical oncology program is proud to offer state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary care for people diagnosed with GI cancer.

The role of the medical oncologist in our treatment teams includes overall treatment planning and the use of medicines to kill cancer cells. We work closely with partners in surgery, radiation oncology, interventional radiology, hepatology, and palliative care to design treatment plans individualized to each patient’s needs. When possible, we always seek cure. If cure is not possible, we believe that the purpose of care is to maximize quality of life and duration of life. To this end, we seek treatments that minimize side effects and maximize benefit. Whenever possible, we attempt to use cutting-edge molecular diagnostics, clinical trials, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies.

Our GI medical oncology team provides expert consultation and treatment for cancers of the anus, bile duct (cholangiocarcinoma), colon and rectum, esophagus, gallbladder, liver (hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma), pancreas, small bowel, stomach, gastropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and carcinomas.

Our Team

Every person with GI cancer under our care is supported by not just a single doctor, but by a team of individuals. Each of these individuals brings a unique skillset to ensure our patients are able to get the highest quality cancer care with the least toxicity, stress, and emotional and financial consequences.

New Intake Coordinators

Our intake specialists are essential to the success of our initial consultations. They are the kind voice our patients first meet when scheduling an initial visit. They cull through complicated medical records and imaging studies to find what our doctors need to develop individualized treatment plans for our patients.

Return Access Specialists

Our “scheduler” works closely with the healthcare providers on the team to be sure complex tests and treatments are organized in as streamlined a manner as possible so people can get their cancer treatment going quickly. Our return access specialist is often the first point of contact for patients and their families when non-cancer life requires that a patient’s schedule be adjusted.

Nurse Navigators

Nurse navigators are the heart of our program. Nurse navigators provide a single point of contact for patients and their families, allowing us to bring to bear the powerful resources of a large and advanced program, with the ease of a smaller hospital. Our nurse navigators have decades of cancer nursing experience that they use to help our patients with symptom management, education, and care coordination.

Advance Practice Providers (APPs)

Our advance practice providers (CPP, NP, and PA) are specialists in gastrointestinal oncology. They partner hand-in-hand with our doctors in a team-based care model to develop and carry-out cancer treatment plans, bringing their unique focus on cancer symptom management, education, and support to their visits. Typically our patients alternate visits with our doctors and our APPs to maximize cancer treatment and quality of life.

Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPP)

Our Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPP) perform many roles that help our patients receive the most effective cancer treatment with in safe a fashion as possible. They provide essential patient education on cancer treatments and carefully evaluate treatment plans for worrisome drug or disease interactions. Our CPPs are particularly expert and guiding patients though oral cancer treatments by offering ongoing visits for toxicity monitoring. CPPs help connect our patients with critical medication access teams that can help ensure cancer treatment is affordable.

Consults

People with GI cancer often have complex medical needs. Our care team relies heavily on consults with Nutrition, Social Work, Palliative Care, the Comprehensive Cancer Support Program, the Patient and Family Resource Center, and Financial Navigation to help minimize the burden of cancer on our patients and their families.

Physicians

Our doctors are expert in the care of GI cancers and cancer clinical trials. Our doctors collaborate closely with doctors in other cancer specialties to develop an initial treatment plan for our patients, and then oversee our care team.

Medical Oncology Providers