gastrointestinal cancer |
Gastrointestinal Cancer Care and Services at WPAHS
Gastrointestinal cancers are cancers of the digestive system including:
- Appendix
- Carcinoid
- Colon
- Gallbladder
- Gastric
- Liver
- Pancreas
- Rectum
- Stomach
The Gastrointestinal Cancer Institute at the WPAHS includes a comprehensive multi-disciplinary approach combining the skills and knowledge of specialists to provide the optimal treatment for each diagnosis. The team includes:
- Gastrointestinal surgeons
- Gastroenterologists
- Genetics
- Medical oncologists
- Nurses
- Radiation oncologists
- Social Workers
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Colorectal Services
Some of the nation's leading specialists in the treatment of colon and rectal cancer work within the West Penn Allegheny Health System. The Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery provides advanced diagnostic testing and the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques to manage malignant diseases of the colon and rectum. Our dedicated physicians and nurses have specialized expertise in treating these conditions and fully understand the special concerns of this patient population. Our goal is to provide optimal care that restores function, allows a quick return to normal activities, and has the highest possible cure rate.
Second in lethality only to lung cancer, colorectal cancers may be treated with remarkable success, particularly if found early in their development. Compared to 46 percent of patients treated elsewhere in the region, fewer than 10 percent of patients undergoing rectal surgery at the WPAHS require a permanent colostomy. These surgical results are due to accurate pre-operative staging, selective use of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and a commitment to innovative surgery that preserves the natural anatomy. Minimally invasive laparoscopic approaches to colonic resection are also used when clinically appropriate.
Our programs feature a range of advanced digital diagnostic units, treatment modes, from video-assisted, minimally-invasive surgical techniques, and computer-targeted radiation therapy to traditional surgery.
Specialty areas/services include:
• Advanced diagnostic testing
• Anterior-posterior resection
• Chemotherapy treatment
• Colon resection
• Colonoscopy
• Colostomy
• Colostomy reversal
• Innovative surgical options
• Minimally-invasive surgical techniques
• Multidisciplinary rectal cancer care
• Natural orifice surgery
• Restorative pouch surgery
• Sphincter-sparing surgery
• Surgical intervention
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Liver Services
Allegheny General Hospital is one of a select group of medical institutions throughout the United States to have a program devoted solely to treating patients with liver cancer. This includes patients with primary liver tumors as well as those with disease that has metastasized to the liver from other parts of the body.
Patients in our Center for Abdominal Transplantation and Liver Disease have access to cutting-edge treatment modalities delivered by a dedicated multidisciplinary team. Physicians from medical oncology, surgery, radiation oncology, and interventional radiology convene each week to discuss the most appropriate treatment regimen for each patient. This process eliminates the need for multiple consultations and ensures that all available options are considered for each patient.
We pride ourselves on this patient-centered approach to cancer care. Our goal is to provide individualized treatment regimens consisting of innovative techniques with the best possible patient outcomes.
There are several treatment options available to patients with cancer in the liver. The appropriate modalities for each patient are chosen based on the specifics of his or her case.
Services offered at Allegheny General Hospital include:
- Surgical resection
- Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)
- Embolization and Chemoembolization
- Radiofrequency Ablation
- Yttrium-90 Internal Radiation Treatment
- Systemic Chemotherapy
- Liver Transplantation
To learn more about each of these therapies and about our team of specialists, please visit our website by clicking on the link below:
