Treatment Centers/Physicians

My surgeon for my resection was:
Myron Schwartz MD-He is part of Surgical Oncology Associate at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC. There are 4 surgeons in this group all with experience in CC and liver transplantation and resections.
Administrative office# 212-241-2891
Fax# 212-241-1572
Referral# 212-241-9049

Hello highsmith, I am a cc survivor thanks to Barnes. My leed doctor was Dr. William Chapman, he transplanted me twice. My oncologist was Dr. Rama Suresh and radiation oncologist was Dr. Parik. My liver doctor is Dr. Crippin. I have written on here many times about these amazing doctors and need to expierence them to know how loving and caring they are. I was never a number or just another patient, they honestly knew who I was as a person. They always took care of just not me but my family also. My coordinator is Pam Thurston and she never stops caring. I always found it amazing that they never took credit for my survivng and always credited me, my family and a higher being. I am still confused about why transplant is not an option for more of us. I am very suprised that this site list transplant treatment as controversial, I am a living testimony to how wrong that is. If you would like to know more about my amazing expierence with Barnes e-mail me, I would love to talk to you and help you navigate your way thru this miracle instution. Cathy

I am new to the board but wanted to add a few fabulous docs at Barnes (St. Louis, Missouri).

Dr. David Linehan-Chief of hepatobiliary-pancreatic and GI surgery-THE best!
He did three surgeries, in three days, on my dad and two started before dawn! I think he may have spent more time than his residents and fellows(later to be known as an entourage larger than Lady Gaga’s), in the ICU, that first week after my dad’s surgery.

Dr. Benjamin Tan-Oncologist/Hematologist; Very conservative in treatment but very knowledgeable and caring. He has a star of a right hand wo(man)…his main nurse and our life line, Joan James.

Dr. Ida Fox-Not many of you will need her, but she is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and AMAZING!!! My dad is a big guy (6’2″, 250+pre-surgery) and his entire abdomen was left open after complications of the Whipple (x3). She did an amazing job and had a beautiful pencil line scar…before he had an awful encounter with MRSA…but not Dr. Fox’s fault.

Dr. James Duncan-Interventional Radiology-I have had less face time with him, but he has been there through it all.

Dr. Jeffrey Crippin-Transplant surgeon…He turned us down, but he is one of the best!

If anyone has questions, feel free to email me!

Stacey

Hello All,
I am sending all the info I have on myself to Dr. Pawlik at Johns Hopkins-thanks again to all of you! Sincerely, Johanna

Hi…
I first saw a hepatologist who is brilliant (and also told me my tumor was resectable):
Dr. Gores, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN
My resection was done by an equally wonderful surgeon:
Dr. David Nagorney, Mayo Clinic in Rochester
and I am now scheduled to see an oncologist who I hope is as good as my other two doctors:
Dr. Richard Kim, Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL

Dianne

For our UK members. I was treated at St. James Hospital in Leeds for ampullary cholangiocarcinoma and had the whipples operation by Keyhole (laparoscopic surgery). Had the operation April 30th 2009, so I have passed my one year point.

My surgeon was Mr K Menon. He was the first surgeon in the UK to do Whipples by Keyhole. I highly recommend him, not only for his skill with the keyhole resection, but also his very kind and caring manner. He is truly a wonderful and compassionate man, and he treats people from all over the UK, on referral from other hospitals.

I can’t remember anyone being treated in New Zealand for CC so this came up when I was googling and thought I would flag it up here.

Dr Rees Cameron, GI Wellington Hospital, New Zealand.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/job-market/3579585/Scope-of-the-human-body-continues-to-fascinate

Best wishes,

Gavin

In Nov 2009, at age 76, my mother, a generally healthy person, was found to have about 20 blastic tumors up and down her spine during an MRI to see why her neck was hurting her so badly.
More imaging resulted in the finding of a mass on her central bile duct and gall bladder.
Her local internist referred her locally to Dr Frederick M. Weeks of Vero Beach, FL.
An endoscopic brushing inside the bile duct and a needle biopsy if a bone tumor failed in a local facility.
My mother was able to get an appointment 4 weeks later to see Dr Manish Shah in the GI Dept of Sloan-Kettering in NYC, at the recommendation of Dr Weeks who knew that this was a cancer beyond his expertise, usually incurable and virtually untreatable. The questions were: is this gall bladder/ bile duct cancer, and is the cancer the same in the bones? Based on the answers, we would get a treatment plan from Dr Shah.
My mother had two needle biopsies (one around the gall bladder and ducts and one in the spine) in two depts a week apart two weeks after her initial consultation- Sloan Kettering is a very busy place and it is very hard to get appointments. The conclusion was “probably” cholangiocarcinoma, and bone mets were “likely” from the same cancer.
Dr Shah agreed with my mother’s desire to be treated in Vero Beach while living at home. He came up with a treatment plan and forwarded it to Dr Weeks, who is now administering chemo. She started her chemo (finally!) on Dec 24, 2009.
He refused to offer any direction with changes in her diet or additional supplements to enhance her chances of getting the tumors and supporting her immune system. “Don’t make any big changes. Just be healthy.” Hard for us all to hear as we were reading the Anti-Cancer Diet book, and take numerous supplements ourselves…

There is no continued conversation between the two doctors. Both are very pessimistic (“realistic”, in their eyes). They just see it as a matter of time, and even questioned whether she should go on the second more toxic chemo (gem-cis).
It now now four months since her diagnosis.
She is feeling quite normal and has been on the more toxic regimen for about a month.
We are grateful for the good quality of her life. But it is as if she really is not that sick and never has been. But no other treatments seem to be available due to the multiplying bone mets. All the doctors say is that there is nothing else they can do, and that we need to get a grip.

I and my father have TORN UP THE INTERNET to find more treatments. We even asked if Dr Shah if she should add something like an anti-angiogenetic or some other third chemical (directed to a specific pathway of cancer) to her chemo cocktail. I sent him a long list based on cc trials and pancreatic cancer treatments, which seem to be the basis for many cholangio therapies. He just wrote them off, saying that they cause too many side-effects. I did not understand that- I thought targeted therapies caused fewer side-effects than chemo.

My father is horrified at all this. But it is very hard to believe she is dying. We feel bad just “giving up”.

Hope this helps others in some way.
Take care, everyone.
Thank you.