The Team Approach
Fighting Cancer from All Sides
By Caperton Gillett
How do you begin to treat cancer? Do you start with surgery or medication? Which specialist do you see first?
There is one answer to all of these questions, says Martin J. Heslin, a UAB surgical oncologist: multidisciplinary care. "Each component of treatment should be considered up front so that you make sure you're getting treated the right way the first time," says Dr. Heslin.
In UAB's Multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Oncology Clinic, which Dr. Heslin directs, you have a team of physicians working for you. These specialists, representing many different fields of medicine, share their knowledge and expert opinions to provide comprehensive, well-rounded care. The unique setup means that you can meet with medical, radiation, and surgical oncologists, along with nurses and other medical staff, in one visit and one place. On that same day, the specialist team will develop a treatment approach that best fits your individual needs and explain everything about your condition to you.
Multidisciplinary care offers many early advantages, says Dr. Heslin. "For example, with rectal cancer, new data suggests that there is a higher chance of cancer cure if you are treated with chemotherapy and radiation therapy first. But the only way to do that is for the chemotherapy and radiation specialists to collaborate up front."
Because the physicians in the Multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Oncology Center also are researchers, you can benefit from the newest, leading-edge treatments available through clinical trials-often before they are offered anywhere else. "It's efficient, cost-effective, time-effective care," Dr. Heslin says. "It's as simple as that."