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Cancer Surgery International : Skilled cancer doctors team up to offer better treatment
Cancer Surgery International ( CSI ) is a specialist practice at Gleneagles Hospital Singapore dedicated to providing the full spectrum of cancer services , from prevention and diagnosis to treatment . The team is led by eight multidisciplinary and experienced doctors who are leaders in their fields and strive to provide both high-quality and compassionate care in an ethical way .
“ We have always believed that most cancer care is multidisciplinary and CSI facilitates close interaction with our medical and radiation oncology colleagues ,” said Dr Melissa Teo , who co-founded CSI with likeminded colleagues she has worked with for 20 years at the National Cancer Center Singapore — the group of experts has been trained at the best cancer centres in the world and decided to join their forces to provide superior cancer services in the private sector .
Optimal cancer therapy often requires the participation of three groups of oncologists , namely the medical oncologist , the radiation oncologist , and the surgical oncologist , who diagnose cancer and find out how advanced the disease is while using different methods to kill or remove it thus lowering the chances it will recur . In addition , radiologists and specialised pathologists provide accurate diagnoses to aid with delivery of appropriate care .
The CSI team comprises a myriad of specialists who can treat malignancies in many body parts , including the head and the neck , the breast , the chest , the gastrointestinal tract , as well as the liver , the pancreas , and the skin . This means that patients will have dedicated doctors at their disposal while benefiting from the different perspectives of several experts ( sub specialised surgical / medical and radiation oncologists , radiologists and pathologists ) who regularly discuss their cases during tumour boards to decide the best course of action for each individual .
“ When patients consult with us , they can be assured that we will always have their best interests at heart and would personalise a plan with all the cancer specialists instrumental to their care so that patients can achieve the best survival and quality of life outcomes ,” said Dr Teo .
She added that this multidisciplinary care is crucial in cancer management because it can often lead to better outcomes than a single treatment . New cancer treatments keep coming up regularly , so it ’ s paramount that different experts offer their knowledge to provide patients with the most advanced and updated therapeutic options available .
Surgery is a vital treatment modality for many cancer patients as it can often remove the bulk of the tumour . For example , “ the majority of patients with tumours of the major salivary glands will need to have surgery in any case ” because “ 20 per cent of them are malignant and even the benign tumours of the major salivary glands can turn cancerous ,” said CSI surgical oncologist Dr Soo Khee Chee .
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