David Geller

Last updated
David A. Geller

MD, FACS
Geller 3-21-2011-1.jpg
Medical career
ProfessionCo-director, UPMC Liver Cancer Center
Institutions University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Sub-specialtiesHepatobiliary Surgical Oncology
ResearchManagement of liver tumors, laparoscopic liver resections, clinical trials for liver cancer

Dr. David Geller is the Richard L. Simmons Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and co-director of the UPMC Liver Cancer Center. As a hepatobiliary Surgical Oncologist, his clinical interests center on the evaluation and management of patients with liver cancer. He has pioneered laparoscopic liver resections, and has performed more than 300 of these cases. [1] Most of these patients are discharged home on the second post-operative day with four to five band-aid-sized incisions. He also specializes in performing laparoscopic radiofrequency ablations of liver tumors. Dr. Geller is a member of many professional and scientific societies including the American Surgical Association, Society of Surgical Oncology, Society of University Surgeons (Past President 2010), and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. [2]

Contents

Research

Geller has published over 200 scientific papers and chapters. He is often a guest lecturer speaking on the management of liver tumors and has presented at more than 320 meetings or seminars. He has active research grants from the NIH, and is also the Principal Investigator on Industry-sponsored clinical trials for liver cancer.[ citation needed ]

Selected publications

On-line Videos

Laparoscopic resection of a benign liver mass

Related Research Articles

Laparoscopy Minimally invasive operations within the abdominal or pelvic cavities

Laparoscopy is an operation performed in the abdomen or pelvis using small incisions with the aid of a camera. The laparoscope aids diagnosis or therapeutic interventions with a few small cuts in the abdomen.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor Human disease (cancer)

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. GISTs arise in the smooth muscle pacemaker interstitial cell of Cajal, or similar cells. They are defined as tumors whose behavior is driven by mutations in the KIT gene (85%), PDGFRA gene (10%), or BRAF kinase (rare). 95% of GISTs stain positively for KIT (CD117). Most (66%) occur in the stomach and gastric GISTs have a lower malignant potential than tumors found elsewhere in the GI tract.

Cholecystectomy Surgical removal of the gallbladder

Cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. Cholecystectomy is a common treatment of symptomatic gallstones and other gallbladder conditions. In 2011, cholecystectomy was the eighth most common operating room procedure performed in hospitals in the United States. Cholecystectomy can be performed either laparoscopically, or via an open surgical technique.

Cholangiocarcinoma Bile duct adenocarcinoma

Cholangiocarcinoma, also known as bile duct cancer, is a type of cancer that forms in the bile ducts. Symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma may include abdominal pain, yellowish skin, weight loss, generalized itching, and fever. Light colored stool or dark urine may also occur. Other biliary tract cancers include gallbladder cancer and cancer of the ampulla of Vater.

Surgical oncology is the branch of surgery applied to oncology; it focuses on the surgical management of tumors, especially cancerous tumors.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy

A pancreaticoduodenectomy, also known as a Whipple procedure, is a major surgical operation most often performed to remove cancerous tumours from the head of the pancreas. It is also used for the treatment of pancreatic or duodenal trauma, or chronic pancreatitis. Due to the shared blood supply of organs in the proximal gastrointestinal system, surgical removal of the head of the pancreas also necessitates removal of the duodenum, proximal jejunum, gallbladder, and, occasionally, part of the stomach.

An abdominoperineal resection, formally known as abdominoperineal resection of the rectum and abdominoperineal excision of the rectum is a surgery for rectal cancer or anal cancer. It is frequently abbreviated as AP resection, APR and APER.

Autotransplantation is the transplantation of organs, tissues, or even particular proteins from one part of the body to another in the same person.

Hepatectomy is the surgical resection of the liver. While the term is often employed for the removal of the liver from a liver transplant donor, this article will focus on partial resections of hepatic tissue and hepatoportoenterostomy.

Laser surgery is a type of surgery that uses a laser to cut tissue.

Hepatic Arterial Infusion (HAI) is a medical procedure that delivers chemotherapy directly to the liver. The procedure, mostly used in combination with systemic chemotherapy, plays a role in the treatment of liver metastases in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). Although surgical resection remains the standard of care for these liver metastases, majority of patients have lesions that are unresectable. The liver derives its blood supply from two sources – via the hepatic arterial circulation and the portal circulation. Liver metastases get most of their blood supply primarily from the hepatic artery, whereas the normal liver cells get their blood supply from the portal circulation. This allows for chemotherapeutic drugs to be delivered directly to the cancer cells if infused into the hepatic artery. Multiple trials have compared HAI to systemic chemotherapy. Compared to systemic Fluoropyrimidine, HAI with Floxuridine (FUDR) had an increased response, but there was no overall increase in patient survival. Efforts have been made to increase the efficacy and safety of HAI chemotherapy: when a combination of FUDR and dexamethasone was used for HAI, both response rate and median survival increased. In another study, a combination of FUDR and leucovorin for HAI increased the response rate, and reduced the biliary toxicity seen with the use of FUDR alone. Considering improvements in the surgical placement of the HAI pump and studies showing promising results when HAI therapy is used together with systemic oxaliplatin or irinotecan, there is once again an increased interest in the role of HAI as a treatment option in patients with cancer, who have unresectable CRC liver metastases. However, studies recommend that this treatment modality be restricted to centers with expertise in the surgical placement of these pumps, and the technical aspects of localized chemotherapy.

A lower anterior resection, formally known as anterior resection of the rectum and colon and anterior excision of the rectum or simply anterior resection, is a common surgery for rectal cancer and occasionally is performed to remove a diseased or ruptured portion of the intestine in cases of diverticulitis. It is commonly abbreviated as LAR.

In oncology, metastasectomy is the surgical removal of metastases, which are secondary cancerous growths that have spread from cancer originating in another organ in the body.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a type of minimally invasive thoracic surgery performed using a small video camera mounted to a fiberoptic thoracoscope, with or without angulated visualization, which allows the surgeon to see inside the chest by viewing the video images relayed onto a television screen, and perform procedures using elongated surgical instruments. The camera and instruments are inserted into the patient's chest cavity through small incisions in the chest wall, usually via specially designed guiding tubes known as "ports".

Surgical Outcomes Analysis & Research, SOAR, is a research laboratory of the Department of Surgery at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center with expertise in outcomes research. SOAR investigates surgical diseases and perioperative outcomes. The group focuses on pancreatic cancer, other gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary malignancies, vascular disease, and transplant surgery. SOAR's goal is to examine quality, delivery, and financing of care in order to have an immediate impact on patient care and system improvements. The group members utilize national health services and administrative databases, as well as institutional databases, to investigate and to address factors contributing to disease outcomes and healthcare disparities.

William Ernest Miles was an English surgeon known for the Miles' operation: an abdomino-perineal excision for rectal cancer.

The Surgical Care and Outcomes Assessment Program (SCOAP) is a clinician-led, performance benchmarking and quality improvement (QI) registry for surgical and interventional procedures.

Souzan El-Eid is a breast surgical oncologist at Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada (CCCN), and serves as the medical director of the Breast Care Center at Summerlin Hospital, cancer liaison physician for the cancer program and co-chair of the Breast Tumor Board at Summerlin Hospital. She is also the president elect for Clark County Medical Society. She is an Adjunct Associate Professor of General Surgery at Touro University Nevada and has served as principal investigator for several clinical research studies. She is the first breast surgeon in Las Vegas certified in both ultrasound and stereotactic breast biopsies.

I. Michael Leitman is an American surgeon and medical educator. He is Professor of Surgery and Medical Education and Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He previously held the position of Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City.

Radiation lobectomy is a form of radiation therapy used in interventional radiology to treat liver cancer. It is performed in patients that would be surgical candidates for resection, but cannot undergo surgery due to insufficient remaining liver tissue. It consists of injecting small radioactive beads loaded with yttrium-90 into the hepatic artery feeding the hepatic lobe in which the tumor is located. This is done with the intent of inducing growth in the contralateral hepatic lobe, not dissimilarly from portal vein embolization (PVE).

References

  1. "Laparoscopic liver resection". World J. Surg. 35 (7): 1478–86. July 2011. doi:10.1007/s00268-010-0906-5. PMID   21181472.
  2. Dr. David A. Geller, MD, FACS "Dr. David A. Geller, MD, FACS" Archived 2011-03-13 at the Wayback Machine , University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC.com, accessed March 2, 2011.