Our highly experienced and trained specialists can perform both surgical and nonsurgical treatments for gastrointestinal cancers.

Nonsurgical Treatment

Mount Sinai’s gastrointestinal cancer team may determine that your best course of treatment is a non-surgical procedure.

Our medical oncology practice has certification by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI® Program). QOPI is an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). This certification if your guarantee of quality care. It signifies that our outpatient oncology practice has met core standards in a variety of areas that affect the quality of patient care, including staff training and education, chemotherapy orders and drug preparation, patient consent and education, safe chemotherapy administration, and monitoring and assessment of patient well-being. We are the first site in Manhattan to receive QOPI-certification and is one of only 200 practices currently certified nationwide.

We provide the following forms of nonsurgical GI cancer treatments, individualized to meet your personal circumstances:

• Radiation therapy, internal or external
• Chemotherapy
• Biologic targeted agents based on the specific genetic and genomic profile of your tumor

In addition, we offer photodynamic therapy (PDT) to induce an anti-tumor immune response similar to a vaccine to reduce the risk that colon cancer will return after surgery.

Surgical Treatment

Surgery is the most common treatment for colon and rectal cancers. If we determine that surgical treatment is the most appropriate approach for you, we do our very best to use the most technologically advanced, minimally invasive techniques. Minimally invasive procedures allow us to remove cancerous tissue through a natural opening or tiny incisions, rather than a large cut. Minimally invasive procedures ensure faster recovery times, less postoperative pain, and the best chances for restored colon and rectum function.

Every person’s cancer is different. We remove as little of your colon or rectum as possible, based on where the cancer is located and how far it has spread into the wall of the bowel. We remove the cancer and reconstruct the bowel by connecting the two ends. In most cases, normal function returns within a few months.

Our colon and rectal cancer surgeons work closely with surgeons across other specialties when the cancer has spread to other organs or tissues. We also work collaboratively with your primary care provider and oncologist to create an integrated treatment plan tailored to your lifestyle and diagnosis.