Gastrointestinal Cancer Treatments & Services

The multispecialty team in Moffitt Cancer Center’s Gastrointestinal Oncology Program work closely with referring physicians to ensure our shared patients receive the advanced and seamlessly coordinated care they require during treatment for gastrointestinal cancer. The program has been designated as a National Pancreas Foundation Center for treatment of pancreas cancer. 

Moffitt offers a full range of gastrointestinal oncology services, including:

• Endoscopy
• Genetic counseling
• Interventional radiology
• Interventional pain medicine
• Medical oncology
• Nutrition consults
• Pathology
• Radiation oncology
• Radiology readings from gastrointestinal specialists
• Screening, diagnosis and staging
• Surgery
• Supportive care

Specialized treatment for gastrointestinal cancers

Moffitt offers a diverse range of evidence-driven treatments to patients with gastrointestinal cancers. Our treatment options include:

• Systemic therapies
  • Intravenous chemotherapy
  • Oral chemotherapy
  • Targeted therapy
  • Antibody-drug conjugates
  • Immunotherapy
  • Clinical trials with investigational agents including immunotherapy, T-cell receptor treatments, combination therapies with other systemic treatments and/or radiation.
• Endoscopic services
  • Upper endoscopy
  • Endoscopic Stricture Dilation
  • Colonoscopy
  • Precancerous tissue and tumor ablation therapies for Barrett’s esophagus and early esophageal cancers, including:
    • Cryoablation
    • Radiofrequency ablation (RFA)
    • Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR)
  • Enteral stent placement
  • Endoscopic Suturing
  • Removal of large polyps from the colon
  • Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
    • Cholangioscopy, digital Spyglass®
    • Lumen-apposing metal stent, Axios™
    • Previous failed cannulation
    • Rendezvous technique
  • Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS)
    • Locoregional staging of gastrointestinal malignancies
    • Fine needle aspiration (FNA) for mediastinal and gastrointestinal neoplasms
    • Fiducial marker placement to guide radiation therapy
• Interventional radiology
  • Hepatic artery embolization (radioembolization, chemoembolization)
  • Partial splenic artery embolization for thrombocytopenia
  • Percutaneous ablation of tumors (RFA, microwave, cryo, Nanoknife, ethanol)
  • Percutaneous biopsies, transjugular liver biopsy, biliary brush biopsy
  • Biliary drain placement, biliary stenting
  • Cholecystostomy tube placement
  • Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement
  • Portal vein embolization
  • SVC, IVC and portal vein stenting
  • Kyphoplasty, vertebroplasty, and ablation/cementoplasty of bone metastases
  • IVC filter placement and removal
  • Denver shunt and Pleurx catheter placement
  • Gastrostomy, gastrojejunostomy tube placement
  • Celiac plexus nerve block with CT-guidance
  • Abscess drain placement
• Pain management strategies
  • Corticosteroid injections
  • Nerve blocks
  • Pain pumps
  • Celiac plexus neurolysis
• Radiation Therapy
  • MRI-Linac (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Linear Accelerator) Guided Adaptive Radiation Therapy
  • Neoadjuvant radiation therapy prior to surgery
  • Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
  • Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for pancreas, liver and adrenal tumors
  • Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
  • 3D conformal therapy (3D CRT)
  • Motion management with respiratory gating, breath-hold or abdominal compression
  • TheraSpheres® for liver cancer
  • Clinical trials
  • Brachytherapy
• Radiology
  • PET (positron emission tomography) scans
  • High-resolution CT (computed tomography) scans
  • MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Surgery
  Our surgeons provide all range of surgical procedures for gastrointestinal cancer and pre-malignant lesions. We offer aggressive open surgery (when required) as well as laparoscopic, robotic and other novel minimally-invasive surgeries. We focus on complete resection of the tumor while also minimizing the extent of surgery and organ resection (organ preservation) to improve the quality of life after surgery. These are some of the procedures we offer:
  • Robotic/laparoscopic esophageal surgery
  • Robotic/laparoscopic gastrectomy (partial/complete)
  • Robotic/open complex liver resection for primary and metastatic tumors
  • Liver resection with vascular resection/reconstruction
  • Two-stage hepatectomy with or without portal vein embolization
  • ALPPS procedure: Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged hepatectomy
  • Ablation for liver tumors (radiofrequency, microwave, other)
  • Bile/hepatic duct resections for cholangiocarcinoma
  • Cholecystectomy with lymphadenectomy and liver resection for gallbladder cancer
  • Resection and fenestration of liver cysts (open and robotic/laparoscopic)
  • Resection of small bowel tumors
  • Debulking and complete resection of small bowel/mesenteric neuroendocrine tumors
  • Whipple Procedure (Robotic/ Open)
  • Central/ Distal/ Total pancreatectomy (Robotic/ Open)
  • Appleby Procedure
  • Complex pancreas resection with vascular reconstruction
  • Diagnostic and Staging Laparoscopy
  • Laparoscopic/ Robotic/ Open splenectomy
  • Debulking and cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal/abdominal tumors
  • Hyperthermic intra-peritoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC)
  • Robotic/ laparoscopic colectomy
  • Robotic/laparoscopic low anterior resection
  • Robotic/laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection
  • Pelvic Exenteration
  • Transanal Excision
  • Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMUS)
  • High Resolution Anoscopy
  • Evaluation and management of extramammary Paget’s disease including mapping, wide local excision, and topical therapy
• Personalized Care
  • Genetic risk assessment
  • Genetic counseling
  • Germline and somatic genetic testing
  • GeneHome clinic
  • High Risk Colorectal Screening clinic
  • Personalized medicine consultations

Refer a patient 

To refer a patient to Moffitt’s Gastrointestinal Oncology Program, complete our online form or contact a physician liaison for assistance. We know the importance of timely cancer treatment, which is why we strive to respond to all referral requests in less than 48 hours.