Clinical Programs

Gastrointestinal(203) 785-4191

About the Program

Each year, approximately 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with some form of gastrointestinal cancer. Many of these cancers are too complex or difficult to be treated with just one modality. The multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Cancers Program at Yale Cancer Center provides all gastrointestinal cancer patients with a truly multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of their complex disease.

Through the Gastrointestinal Cancers Program, patients are seen on an individual basis by three cancer specialists (a medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and a surgeon) on their initial visit to Yale. These physicians work together to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that is clear and concise. The benefits of a multidisciplinary program exceed the benefit of the traditional single expert opinion or even a second opinion in that it represents expert opinions from the three treatment modalities and creates an individualized comprehensive plan for the patient.

Using a comprehensive team approach, our physicians collaborate with diagnostic and interventional radiologists, gastroenterologists, and pathologists to provide the most expert care available for cancer patients. Our outstanding diagnostic imaging services, including Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), MRI / MRCP and high resolution CT scans, Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and EUS guided fine needle aspiration, allow for patients to be properly evaluated at the onset of their diagnosis.

Nationally accepted treatment plans are provided for patients who have recently been diagnosed with cancer; more individualized plans are carefully customized for patients who have not responded to prior therapies and clinical trials are often available for both situations. In one visit, patients will have encountered a team of physicians who will work together, combining their skills and knowledge to provide the highest quality of care. The result is a personal comprehensive treatment plan.

The Gastrointestinal Cancers Program cares for patients within the state-of-the-art Yale Physicians Building and has access to all of Yale-New Haven Hospital's vast resources. In addition, the center is part of the nationally recognized Yale Cancer Center and benefits from its ground-breaking research and world-class physicians. Our Physicians have special expertise in the treatment of cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, colon, and rectum.

The physicians within the multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Cancers Program are dedicated to providing the most up-to-date and effective care to gastrointestinal cancer patients, advancing the nation's understanding of cancer, and improving diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.