Gastrointestinal Oncology SERVICES

The Gastrointestinal (GI) Oncology Program at UC Irvine Medical Center provides diagnostic and treatment services for patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. These include cancers affecting the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver and colon. 

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Experienced Team

Housed at the H.H. Chao Comprehensive Digestive Disease Center (CDDC), the program takes a multidisciplinary approach to patient care.  Our GI oncology team  includes specialists in gastroenterology, surgery, medical oncology, laser therapy and radiation oncology, as well as nurses and other allied health professionals. Surgical oncologists at the CDDC are highly experienced in minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures, and use them whenever possible to reduce trauma and shorten recovery time.

Pioneering Therapies

The program has pioneered many breakthrough therapies, including gene therapy to treat pancreatic cancer, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for the early diagnosis and pre-operative staging of gastrointestinal cancers.

Another advanced technique called EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) was developed by Dr. Kenneth J. Chang, medical director of the CDDC, and perfected at UC Irvine Medical Center.  Today, EUS-guided FNA is known worldwide as a superior, cost-effective and humane alternative to surgical biopsy. EUS staging of cancers can spare patients the need for difficult and painful exploratory surgeries.

Our GI Oncology team members are also involved in developing new EUS-based techniques, such as EUS-guided injection of antitumor agents, EUS-guided celiac nerve blocks, and EUS-guided radiotherapy and gene therapy.

Physicians in the GI Oncology Program established Orange County’s first photodynamic therapy (PDT) program.  PDT combines a photo-activated drug with laser energy to help ease swallowing in patients suffering with cancer of the esophagus. The technique enables physicians to destroy cancer cells while limiting damage to healthy tissue.

Clinical Trials

Basic research and clinical trials of new treatments for GI cancer patients are ongoing at UC Irvine Medical Center.  By enrolling in these studies, patients can gain access to new and emerging therapies.

Medical Services

• Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and EUS-guided FNA
• Endscopic mucosal resection (EMR) for diagnosis and removal of precancerous lesions and early cancers
• Endoscopic diagnostic and ablative techniques for Barrett's esophagus
• Staging of esophageal, gastric and colorectal cancers
• Diagnosis and staging of pancreatic cancer
• Laser ablation and PDT for esophageal cancer
• Surgeries of the esophagus, stomach and small intestine
• Liver resection
• Surgical management of endocrine tumors
• Pancreatic surgery
• Liver resection
• Biliary bypass
• Colorectal surgery
• Medical Oncology services

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