Surgical Oncology

The Surgical Oncology service is a key component of the Wake Forest University National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our board-certified surgeons all have specialized fellowship training and work in a multidisciplinary setting with other specialists to provide the latest treatments and innovations in surgical cancer care. We annually perform over 1,000 major operative procedures for cancer and see approximately 7,500 outpatients in the Outpatient Comprehensive Cancer Center clinics. We provide surgical care for patients with cancers of the GI tract, liver, pancreas, gallbladder/bile duct, and breast, as well as melanoma and sarcoma.

Our program is internationally known for its Peritoneal Surface Malignancy program which treats patients with advanced abdominal cancer with cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). We have published extensively on this topic and our faculty is considered leaders in the field. Our liver and pancreas cancer program is the busiest in our 19 county referral area. We offer minimally invasive liver and pancreatic resections and are in the process of developing a robotic surgery program to perform complex abdominal cancer operations through smaller incisions to improve postoperative recovery and decrease infection. The Breast Center at Wake was the first center in the region to receive full accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers, which is administered by the American College of Surgeons. It offers multidisciplinary clinic evaluation of breast cancer patients so they can have a comprehensive consultation with one visit to determine the best treatment plan for their cancer. We have recently started a melanoma immunotherapy program offering interleukin-2 treatments for patients with metastatic melanoma and this has become one of the most comprehensive programs in the country.

Our fellowship-trained faculty is actively involved in clinical and translational cancer research to develop better treatments for our cancer patients. We offer national clinical trials as well as our own institutional studies for eligible patients. Clinical trials offer patients the opportunity to receive novel therapies for their disease when traditional methods have failed. In addition patients on clinical trials receive close follow-up and attention while on study. We encourage you to explore our website to learn more about our surgical oncology program.

Our Faculty:
Edward Levine, MD
Perry Shen, MD
John H. Stewart, IV, MD
Marissa Howard-McNatt, MD 
Russell Howerton, MD
Jennifer Cannon, MD
Konstantinos (“Kostas”) Votanopoulos, MD