Overview of Training for Individual Specialties
SURGICAL ONCOLOGY
UIHospitals and Clinics and Veterans Affairs Medical Center are both regional referral centers for oncologic patients. Many patients present with advanced malignancies and provide a unique opportunity to study the theoretic and practical aspects of the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neoplastic disease while receiving the advanced care expected at a major medical center.
Clinical conferences play an important role in the teaching program and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas with members of the Departments of Surgery, Pathology, Radiation Therapy, Nuclear Medicine, Pediatrics, and Hematology-Oncology. Students, residents, and ancillary patient support staff actively participate in these working and educational conferences. Residents and staff organize the weekly Tumor Conference, selecting appropriate patients for presentation and consultation.
The Holden Clinical Cancer Center treats patients with both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The John and Mary Pappajohn Clinical Cancer Center provides dedicated clinic and inpatient space. It is staffed by an interdisciplinary team composed of specialists from the sections of surgical, medical and radiation oncology.
Clinical investigations in Surgical Oncology include trials in the treatment of noninvasive breast cancer, drug intensification in the adjuvant setting for breast cancer patients, experimental therapeutic modalities for pancreatic and perampullary malignancies, sentinel lymph node mapping in melanoma, and laparoscopic splenectomy for hematologic diseases. Research studies include population studies of breast cancer, gastric cancer and small bowel cancers, and the molecular basis of juvenile polyposis.
Surgical Oncology Staff