Surgical Oncology and Tumor Removal

If you or a loved one are facing a cancer diagnosis, it is comforting to know that there are supportive, highly-trained experts right here in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

One of the most tiring and challenging parts of an illness is the disruption of your daily routine for frequent specialized care that may require you to travel hundreds of miles from your home. You can count on CMU Health not only for advanced surgical technology and outstanding medical treatment capabilities, but also for personalized care, hope and support close to home.

We have compassionate experts to treat a variety of malignancies including liver, pancreas, stomach, esophagus, thyroid, and colon and rectal cancers. With multiple specialists within our surgical group, our surgeons work collaboratively to provide a variety of expertise to each complex case.

Because we have a working relationship with both hospital systems in Saginaw – Ascension St. Mary’s and Covenant HealthCare – we can accommodate patients with their preference of care location, including access to sites in Northern Michigan and the Thumb for chemotherapy and radiation oncology.

Conditions Treated

Talk to your primary care physician about a referral to CMU Health Surgical Oncology if you need treatment for any of the following:

  • Adrenal tumors
  • Bile duct cancer
  • Breast cancer
  • Colon cancer
  • Esophageal cancer
  • Gallbladder cancer
  • Gastrointestinal stromal tumors
  • Liver cancer
  • Melanoma
  • Neuroendocrine tumors
  • Pancreas cancer
  • Parathyroid cancer
  • Sarcoma
  • Stomach cancer
  • Thyroid cancer

Procedures Performed

  • Axillary lymph node dissection involves the removal of most of the lymph nodes in the axilla to systematically clear the area of potential cancer.
  • Colectomy (colon resection) is the removal of any portion of the colon along with the lymph nodes near the colon to assess for possible spread of cancer.
  • Esophagectomy is the removal of the esophagus for cancer and repair using the stomach as a conduit for food transit from the mouth to the intestines. This is typically done with one incision in the neck and one incision in the abdomen.
  • Excisional breast biopsy is the removal of an area of the breast for further evaluation.
  • Gastrectomy is the removal of a portion of or the entire stomach for gastric cancer or gastrointestinal stromal tumors.
  • Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) with cytoreductive surgery is a complex operation performed for advanced cancers spreading throughout the entire abdomen, which requires surgical removal of all visible cancer, followed by heated intra-abdominal chemotherapy. This surgery is only offered at a small number of hospitals.
  • Liver Resection is the removal of a portion of the liver, either done open or with a minimally invasive approach. This operation can be done for primary liver cancer or for metastatic liver tumors - cancer from somewhere else in the body that is growing in the liver.
  • Lumpectomy or partial mastectomy is the removal of a breast tumor along with a healthy rim of tissue surrounding the tumor, leaving the remainder of the breast in place. If the tumor cannot be felt, the breast cancer is first localized using a wire or marker placed by a radiologist.
  • Sentinel lymph node biopsy is an injection of radiotracer, blue dye, or both to identify the lymph nodes draining the breast. Using a gamma probe or with visualization, these nodes are carefully removed to assess if the cancer has spread beyond the breast.
  • Nipple-sparing mastectomy is the removal of the glandular tissue of the breast, leaving the skin of the breast and nipple in place to assist with cosmetic appearance during reconstruction.
  • Simple mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast including the nipple and areola.
  • Skin-sparing mastectomy is the removal of the glandular tissue of the breast along with the nipple but leaving behind sufficient skin to assist with cosmetic appearance during reconstruction. This operation is appropriate if a patient desires reconstruction but the nipple cannot be safely preserved.
  • Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy) is the robotic removal of the pancreas head, first portion of the small intestine, gallbladder and bile duct with reconstruction, typically done for pancreatic tumors or pancreas cancer.

Why Choose CMU Health Surgery?

CMU Health doctors have the expertise, training and technology to provide optimal care for patients suffering from conditions requiring surgical and non-surgical treatment. Our surgeons develop treatment plans specific to each patient and give them the care and attention to attain the best possible results.

Our surgeons have privileges at both Ascension St. Mary’s and Covenant HealthCare in Saginaw. Because we have a working relationship with both hospital systems, we are able to accommodate patients with their preference of care location, including access to sites in Northern Michigan and in the Thumb for chemotherapy and/or radiation oncology.

As part of our partnership with the local hospital systems, all cancer cases from CMU Health patients may be presented a Tumor Conference at both hospitals to get a consensus statement on how to best proceed with care.

In addition to seeing patients at two regional hospitals, we also offer outpatient treatment at CMU Health Surgery on Washington Avenue in Saginaw, along with satellite office locations in Bay City, Caro, Standish and Tawas.

CMU Health Surgery is also the only surgical practice in the Saginaw area that provides access to national clinical trial enrollment through the Michigan Cancer Research Consortium.

Our Hepatobiliary Surgeon and Surgical Oncologists

  • Maher Ghanem, MD
  • Lisa WintonLi, MD