Gynecologic Oncology Program

The Yale Gynecologic Oncology Program brings together a team of clinicians whose focus is caring for women with gynecologic cancer. Faculty members are board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and in the subspecialty of gynecologic oncology, which unites surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy into the oncologic management of patients.

The Gynecologic Oncology Program offers gynecologic, gastrointestinal and urologic surgery for the management of previously untreated gynecologic cancers. These operations include radical hysterectomies for cervical cancer, cytoreductive surgery for ovarian cancer, radical vulvectomies for vulvar cancer and total abdominal hysterectomies, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomies, and lymphadenectomies for the staging and treatment of endometrial cancers. In addition, surgery for unusual tumors occurring in the female pelvis, such as benign and malignant soft tissue tumors, are routinely managed by the Gynecologic Oncology Program.

The program offers surgical management of complications resulting from gynecologic cancers or for progressive disease that include small and large bowel resections, colostomies, fistula repairs, and repair of pelvic support for the management of patients with gynecologic malignancies.

The program offers surgical management of disease that previously was not susceptible to effective surgery or whose recurrence now makes it appropriate to operate. Such operations would include radical resection of recurrent ovarian cancer, radical hysterectomies and pelvic exenterations for recurrent cervical cancer, radical resections of pelvic and abdominal disease for recurrent endometrial cancer and surgical resection of vulvar lesions following surgery or surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy for the management of vulvar cancer.

Surgeons in the program routinely are asked to provide surgical management for patients with benign gynecologic conditions, particularly those that had previously been treated surgically unsuccessfully. Such conditions include endometriosis, extensive uterine fibroids (leiomyomas), recurrent ovarian cysts, pelvic pain, and pelvic organ prolapse.

The Gynecologic Oncology Program offers a full spectrum of chemotherapeutic agents useful in the management of ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, uterine cancer, mesenchyme tumors of the uterus, cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, and vulvar cancer. These chemotherapeutic agents may be used either for primary treatment or treatment of recurrent disease. The Gynecologic Oncology Program offers chemotherapy both for previously untreated gynecologic malignancies as well as for the management of recurrent gynecologic malignancies that may have initially failed to respond to chemotherapy or other treatment modalities.

The program, working in concert with the Therapeutic Radiology Service provides for both brachytherapy and external beam radiation therapy for the management of a spectrum of gynecologic cancers including cervical, vaginal, and vulvar cancer.

The Gynecologic Oncology Program offers a full service colposcopy program for the evaluation of women with abnormal Pap smears and for patients with possible recurrences of premalignant or malignant disease in the lower reproductive tract using the colposcopic evaluation approach. The program also offers laser, loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP), and cold knife conizations for cervical cancer and has applied these techniques for vulvar and vaginal cancer in selected patients.

A prospective tumor board is held weekly under the direction of the Gynecologic Oncology Program working in concert with Therapeutic Radiology and the  Pathology. All patients treated have their slides reviewed in a prospective fashion at the tumor board. All therapeutic decisions are made by a multidisciplinary panel of experts in the field of gynecologic malignancy diagnosis and management.

	Azodi, Masoud, MD	Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences	(203) 200-4176 Appts (203) 200-5077 Fax
	Higgins, Susan A, MD	Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiology and of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Associate Director, Department of Therapeutic Radiology Residency Training Program	(203) 200-2100 Appts (203) 785-4622 Fax
	Mani, Sheida, MD	Assistant Clinical Professor of Therapeutic Radiology; Assistant Chief and Medical Director for Radiation Oncology at Bridgeport Hospital	(203) 688-1861 Appts (203) 785-4622 Fax
	Ratner, Elena, MD	Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences	(203) 200-4176 Appts (203) 200-5077 Fax
	Roberts, Kenneth B, MD	Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiology; Medical Director, Yale-New Haven Shoreline Medical Center, Department of Radiation Oncology; Associate Chief and Medical Director for Radiation Oncology at Shoreline Medical Center, Yale-New Haven Hospital	(203) 200-2000 Appts (203) 200-2001 Fax
	Rutherford, Thomas J., MD, PhD	Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Section Chief, Gynecologic Oncology	(203) 200-4176 Appts (203) 200-5077 Fax
	Santin, Alessandro D., MD	Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Clinical Research Program Leader, Gynecologic Oncology Program, Yale Cancer Center	(203) 200-4176 Appts (203) 200-5077 Fax
	Schwartz, Peter E, MD	John Slade Ely Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences; Vice Chair, Gynecology	(203) 785-4014 Appts (203) 785-4135 Fax
	Silasi, Dan-Arin, MD	Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences	(203) 200-4176 Appts (203) 200-5077 Fax
	Weidhaas, Joanne Barnes, MD/PhD	Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiology	(203) 688-1861 Appts (203) 785-4622 Fax

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