Philip J. DiSaia, MD
Division Director

The Division of Gynecologic Oncology is an international leader in gynecologic oncology treatment, research, and education. The physicians in this group are specialists who form the core for a national and regional referral center for the diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic cancers. Through the efforts of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, many key cancer questions are being identified and studied. From these studies will come:

• New and innovative ways to detect cancers at earlier stages when the disease is easier to contain and eliminate.
• Improved methods of treatment that will be better directed at cancer tissue and less toxic and invasive to normal body tissue and organs.
• A better insight into the cause of cancer and how to prevent or eliminate this deadly disease.

 The gynecologic oncology research group at UCI, led by Dr. Robert Burger, has had an international reputation for over two decades for its clinical research in gynecologic malignancies. Clinical fellows in the Division conduct both clinical and basic science investigation, integrating both aspects of pure science and medicine into the gynecologic oncology studies. The Division of Gynecologic Oncology manages the only NCI funded fellowship training grant for gynecologic oncology in the nation. Dr. Burger is the newly appointed Principal Investigator for this grant.

          The Gynecologic Oncology Program is one of the most active research programs at the UCI Chao Family Clinical Cancer Research Center and also on a national basis. Since 1993, the Gynecologic Oncology program faculty have had an impressive 230 publications in Peer Reviewed and other reputable journals. The overall purpose of this program is to conduct basic and clinical studies of gynecologic premalignancies and malignancies and to use this knowledge to improve the care of patients with these diseases.

Treatments

The comprehensive full-range of women's health care consultative and treatment services offered by this group are:

• Treatment of all stages of gynecologic cancers
• Surgical therapy of gynecologic cancer
• Chemotherapy treatment
• Laser therapy
• Screening of ovarian cancer
• Complex gynecologic surgery
• Access to the latest investigational therapy and clinical research