Biliary Tract Cancer near Bronxville, NY

Care Philosophy: I have treated patients with cancer for 32 years in private practice and have been the chief of oncology and director oncology at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville, NY. I founded the first Cancer Survivorship Program in the region outside of MSKCC. I am interested in how lifestyles and other disorders such as diabetes influence cancer risk and outcomes. I am also interested in cancer genetics and how patients can be proactive in optimizing their quality of life before, during and after treatment.

Biography: Michelle Boyar, MD, is board certified in medical oncology and an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Boyar has a clinical interest in palliative care practices in oncology, gastrointestinal cancers, genitourinary cancers, as well as general oncology. She treats patients with oncologic conditions, such as bladder, prostate, bowel, colon-rectal, esophageal, gallbladder, bile duct, gastric, kidney, and pancreatic cancers. Dr. Boyar strives to form close relationships with her patients and serves her community by offering comprehensive care and connecting them to local resources. Dr. Boyar completed her medical degree at University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and remained at the university to serve her internship and residency at Southwestern Medical Center. She then completed her fellowship in hematology and oncology at Columbia University Medical Center.

Biography: Dr. S. Sunghyun Yoon is the Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Vice-Chair of Surgical Oncology Research and Education in the Department of Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC). Dr. Yoon is a national and international expert in the treatment of patients with sarcomas and other soft tissue tumors, gastric (stomach) and gastroesophageal cancers, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and melanoma. He also has over 18 years of experience in the treatment of other gastrointestinal and abdominal tumors, hepatobiliary tumors, neuroendocrine/adrenal tumors, lymphomas, and spleen tumors. He has been the principal investigator of several clinical trials examining novel treatment strategies and given numerous invited national and international lectures in relation to these cancers. Several of these trials have investigated the treatment of sarcomas, especially abdominal/retroperitoneal sarcomas, with advanced radiation techniques such as proton beam radiation and aggressive surgical resection to minimize local recurrence. Read More About These Treatments: https://columbiasurgery.org/conditions-and-treatments/retroperitoneal-sarcomas-and-pelvic-sarcomas Dr. Yoon was an early advocate for minimally invasive robotic surgery and has performed over 300 robotic procedures including robotic gastrectomies (stomach removal). He has one of the world's largest experiences in performing prophylactic total gastrectomies for patients with hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC syndrome) secondary to germline CDH1 mutation. He pioneered a technique for connection of the small bowel to the esophagus after total gastrectomy that is used by former surgical trainees and colleagues throughout the country due to its extremely low leakage rate. Dr. Yoon graduated from Harvard University and received his M.D. from the University of California at San Diego. He completed his residency in general surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and his fellowship in surgical oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was an Associate Professor of Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School before joining the staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2012. Dr. Yoon was an Attending Surgeon in the Division of Gastric and Mixed Tumors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College before joining CUIMC in 2021. Dr. Yoon's main research interests are in cancer stem cells and targeted biological agents in combination with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. His laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute for 18 years and strives to translate new research discoveries into the clinic. Dr. Yoon is also part of multi-institution research groups funded by Stand Up To Cancer and the DeGregorio Family Foundation to discover early diagnostics and new therapies for gastric cancer. His clinical and research efforts have led to over 150 original research articles, book chapters, and reviews. For a complete list of publications, please visit NCBI.

Biography: Lawrence Koutcher, MD, is the Regional Director of Clinical Operations for Radiation Oncology at New York Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital (NYP-HVH) in Cortlandt Manor, NY, and New York Presbyterian Westchester (NYP-W) in Bronxville, NY. He also sees patients at New York Presbyterian Medical Group Hudson Valley in Cold Spring, NY. Dr. Koutcher is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He is currently Chair of the Cancer Committee and serves on the Medical Board at NYP-HVH. As a physician who treats all adult cancer types, he greatly values the long-term relationships that he forms with his patients and their families. Dr. Koutcher has served as Medical Director for Radiation Oncology at NYP-HVH since his arrival in 2014. During this time, he has brought multiple new programs to NYP-HVH, including stereotactic body radiation therapy for inoperable lung cancer, stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases, Radium-223 (Xofigo) injections for select patients with metastatic prostate cancer, and along with his urology colleagues, SpaceOAR insertion to decrease the side effects of prostate radiation. Most recently, Dr. Koutcher and his colleagues have started the stereotactic body radiation therapy program for men with prostate cancer, which allows patients to complete their course of radiation in only five treatments. Dr. Koutcher joined NYP-W in 2021, and looks forward to adding to the robust set of services that this facility already offers. Dr. Koutcher earned his BA in biochemistry from Columbia University and his MD from Cornell University, where he received a National Cancer Institute Fellowship. He went on to complete his radiation oncology residency at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he became Chief Resident. Following the completion of his residency, he went on to serve as Medical Director of Professional Radiation Oncology Services, and of the Herb and Sue Ann Redl Center for Cancer Care in Poughkeepsie, NY. In 2018 he was presented with the 40 under 40 Mover & Shaker Award by the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Koutcher has presented his research at national conferences, including the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He has published papers in multiple peer-reviewed journals, such as the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics, American Journal of Clinical Oncology, andRadiotherapy and Oncology. Since joining Columbia, he has been an active member of the lung cancer and prostate cancer research teams.