You’re ready to feel like you again. We’re ready to guide you there, using a combination of advanced therapies and personalized care. With a team of nationally recognized gastrointestinal oncology experts working just for you, you’ll have a clear path toward overcoming digestive cancer.
Trust in leading care. AdventHealth Cancer Institute is accredited as an Academic Comprehensive Cancer Program and received the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC) designation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.
Our team is made up of the country’s leading experts, who are focused on treating the entire scope of benign and malignant GI tumors with an individualized, comprehensive approach.
You’ll always feel empowered and prepared. Day after day, our compassionate and knowledgeable Nurse Navigators will coordinate your appointments, talk you through every treatment option, and more. We’ll make sure you’re always supported.
If surgery is part of your treatment plan, it’s reassuring to know that your health is in the hands of specialized oncology surgeons. As a recognized leader in digestive cancer care, we’re helping patients heal through innovative surgical care day in and day out.
Gastrointestinal cancer surgery can be a promising step forward on your path to healing. Your dedicated team of gastrointestinal cancer specialists will review every detail of your medical history and recent tests to recommend the most effective treatment plan for you. Surgery may be the only treatment you need, or, more commonly, it’s used in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
We treat a broad range of digestive tract tumors with the most minimally-invasive procedures possible. Depending on your type of cancer and stage, that could include:
Robotic surgery uses smaller incisions for colon or rectal cancer operations, meaning shorter recovery times.
Transanal minimally-invasive surgery is a new, highly effective treatment to remove rectal tumors, pioneered by the skilled surgeons at our hospital.
Tumor and partial colon or rectum removal is used to treat colorectal cancer. Depending on your case, your surgeon may take out more of the colon or rectum.
Pancreatic and liver tumors, both benign and malignant, are often treated with minimally-invasive techniques.
Whatever procedure is part of your treatment plan, trust in a team ready to guide you from pre-op to post-op and beyond.
While radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments for gastrointestinal cancer, at AdventHealth Cancer Institute, we do it with uncommon expertise, guidance, and compassion. Using sophisticated radiation technology, we can target tumors including rectal cancer, gastric cancer, liver cancer, and pancreatic cancer with amazing precision, easing your pain and leaving healthy tissue untouched. Depending on your diagnosis, your dedicated team may recommend radiation alone, but in many cases, we combine it with surgery, chemotherapy, and sometimes other treatment options.
Our oncology experts take an individualized approach to every patient’s treatment plan. Radiation therapy targets specific areas of the body, shrinking tumors and killing cancer cells by damaging their DNA.
When treating digestive tract cancer, radiation therapy is usually delivered one of three ways:
External radiation, which delivers radiation in a concentrated beam to keep nearby healthy tissue unaffected, often using imaging to guide the treatment.
Internal radiation delivers concentrated doses of radiation guided by ultrasound, keeping healthy nearby tissue safer.
Systemic radiation is a treatment that is swallowed or injected and then travels through your bloodstream to target and shrink cancer cells.
Throughout your treatment, your nurses and your radiology care team are there to keep you and your support system informed, comfortable, and uplifted.
Nothing matters more to us than getting you well, and getting you home. Depending on what type of gastrointestinal cancer you have and the level of advancement, chemotherapy may play an essential role in successfully treating your cancer, including colon cancer, rectal cancer, liver cancer, and pancreatic cancer. From the moment you arrive for your chemo treatment, one of our nurses will be there to greet you and guide you.
Using a combination of specialized drugs, chemotherapy has the power to destroy or slow down the growth of fast-growing cancer cells, wherever they are. More often than not for gastrointestinal cancer, chemo is administered intravenously, but it can also be delivered by injection or orally. At AdventHealth Cancer Institute, our oncology experts take an individualized approach to your chemotherapy treatment. Chemotherapy can be used three different ways to help treat gastrointestinal cancer:
Neoadjuvant treatment, during which chemo is administered before surgery to shrink the tumor, making it easier to remove and helping prevent the cancer cells from coming back.
Adjuvant treatment, during which chemo is administered after surgery to help remove any cancer that may be left. Often, you may receive a combination of chemo and radiation therapy after surgery, called chemoradiation.
Chemotherapy can also be used as your primary treatment option if surgery and/or radiation therapy aren’t the right course of treatment for you.
Depending on your type of cancer, we’ll determine which treatment(s) is best for you.
Our Gastrointestinal Cancer Program offers an optimized care track for patients with early onset colorectal cancer. The early onset group includes patients who have been diagnosed at age 50 or under, and as a result, often require a unique approach to treatment. As the rate of diagnoses of colorectal cancer in younger populations continues to rise, we’re taking a proactive approach to help patients reach the best possible outcome. Our multidisciplinary team of GI oncology experts works with these patients to develop individualized care plans, keeping age, lifestyle, overall health and other factors top of mind. Backed by a highly specialized team, support resources and wellness programs, we’re here to help get you back to what matters most.
Getting back to feeling whole and healthy means making room in your life for plenty of guidance, love, and support from your family, from your friends, and from us. We’re here to help guide you and educate you, with personalized recovery programs for you geared toward boosting better outcomes. We’re here to remind you that exercise plays a key role in reducing your risk of recurrence. And to remind you that strength training can help reduce your risk of fracture.
You’re ready to give it your all. Across all seven Central Florida locations, our leading oncology specialists combine both proven therapies and emerging innovations to achieve patient outcomes that consistently exceed the national average.
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You'll feel even stronger when you're surrounded by a loving support system. From our pampering patient spa, which provides relaxation services and wig fittings, to our in-depth financial assistance tools, we’re here with the practical, emotional, and spiritual guidance you need.
Learn MoreYou have big plans for the future. We’re here to help you take an important step toward protecting that future with regular colonoscopy screenings. The National Cancer Comprehensive Network recommends a colonoscopy for individuals 50 years old or older, without any symptoms and no first-degree relatives with colorectal cancer. Early detection is always crucial.
Our cancer specialists and researchers are continuously discovering new ways to prevent and treat digestive cancer. We participate in more than 175 national clinical trials a year to give you access to many of the latest treatments and prevention methods, many of which may not be available at other cancer centers for months, or years, to come.
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It's always a good idea to get a second opinion. Our second-opinion experts can help you feel more confident in your care, either by confirming your diagnosis, shedding new light, or opening the door to new treatment options.
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Our cancer patients often find comfort and hope where they least expect it: in the company of peers who end up becoming so much more. Connect with patients, survivors, and a compassionate support group staff who truly understand what you’re going through.
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New studies. New research. New technology and more. We’ll keep you informed of innovative treatments, advanced techniques, and the latest offerings at AdventHealth Cancer Institute.
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Find healing, find community, and stay in the know. With a wide variety of events year-round, we’ll help you connect with other patients, caregivers, support groups, as well as our compassionate care team.
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