Surgical Oncologists
The surgical oncologist on your team is a gastrointestinal surgeon who specializes in surgical treatment for gastrointestinal cancers. The surgical oncologist works closely with the medical and radiation oncologists and other team members to coordinate and optimize your treatment.
Medical Oncologists
The medical oncologist is the physician who specializes in medical treatment approaches, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers. This physician evaluates which drugs or combination of drugs are best for you, determines how to deliver them safely and manages any side effects.
Radiation Oncologists
A radiation oncologist is a physician who specializes in radiotherapy approaches to fight cancer. For lower gastrointestinal cancers such as colon, rectal and anal, radiation therapy may be part of the treatment plan before or after surgery, during surgery to treat surgical margins, for recurrent disease, and as a palliative treatment to relieve symptoms.
Gastroenterologists
The gastroenterologist on your team is a physician who specializes in diagnosing and treating cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Your gastroenterologist performs the procedures, such as endoscopic ultrasound and colonoscopy to diagnose the cancer as well as endoscopic procedures to remove early cancers.
Pathologists
A pathologist is the physician who analyzes your tissue samples from tumors, lymph nodes and other areas and performs laboratory tests to detect whether cancer cells are present, and if so, the type of cancer. The pathologist provides information your care team needs to determine the very best treatment options for you. At Roswell Park, your samples are analyzed by pathologists who focus specifically on the diagnosis of cancers in the gastrointestinal tract.
Diagnostic Radiologists
A diagnostic radiologist is a physician who specializes in diagnosing disease using medical imaging technology, such as CT and MRI scans and nuclear medicine diagnostics such as PET scans.
Advanced Practice Providers
An advanced practice provider (APP) is a medical professional such as a physician assistant or nurse practitioner. APPs work in all areas of the hospital and play an important role in the development and implementation of your treatment plan. They perform examinations, order tests, interpret data and prescribe medication.