School of Medicine

DIVISION OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY

The Division of Surgical Oncology includes subspecialists in hepatobiliary and pancreatic oncology, stomach cancer, benign and malignant breast disease, peritoneal surface malignancies, soft tissue sarcoma, and lung cancer. We work in partnership with the LCMC Health System covering East Jefferson Hospital, University Medical Center New Orleans, West Jefferson Hospital, and Touro. Our faculty include a diverse professional upbringing that include Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Louisiana State University, and the University of Minnesota. Our commitment and obligation to the New Orleans and Jefferson parish communities is to provide comprehensive and evidence-based cancer care, bring resources to patients coming from outside our immediate catchment area, build relationships with other cancer providers within the Disease Management Teams, and bring research protocols and clinical trials to patients in this part of the country. The relationships we build both inside and outside of our department are designed to make what is often a life changing event more understandable and approachable for the patient and care givers. We do this through open, clear and understandable discussions related to your cancer. This builds a relationship between you and the Disease Management Team with mutual decision-making and a true understanding of your choices in terms of the various treatment options available to you. Your surgical oncologist will listen to you, discuss the best approach to your cancer (often it may not be a surgery up-front) and help guide you in making the best decision for your case.

A surgical oncologist is central to your treatment plan. A patient's first instinct when diagnosed with cancer is to want to know if it can be removed with curative intent. It is our divisional philosophy that a discussion for or against surgery in any given circumstance should be with a surgeon instead of a nonsurgical medical partner. Your surgeon also interacts with other cancer providers that make up your management team. All members of your care team meet regularly in order to discuss your case and the best, most comprehensive approach based upon National treatment guidelines. This is termed multidisciplinary cancer care, and we practice this on weekly basis, just as they do at the top 20 cancer centers around the nation.

Meet the Team