Our Musculoskeletal and Head and Neck Programs

To help eliminate some of the challenges and anxiety associated with navigating from a cancer diagnosis through treatment and beyond, Suburban Hospital has developed centers of excellence in musculoskeletal and head and neck cancers. In collaboration with various physician specialists, multi-disciplinary care centers have been established.

The Musculoskeletal Center is headed by Dr. Felasfa Wodajo, a fellowship-trained Orthopedic Oncologist with a extensive experience in bone and soft tissue tumor, expertise in limb-sparing surger, and shoulder and pelvic girdle resections.

The Head & Neck team is led by Dr. John D. Casler, who is fellowship-trained in Head and Neck Surgery and Facial Plastic Surgery and whose area of expertise is treatment of difficult tumors of the nose, sinuses, and head and neck region. He also has extensive expertise in reconstructive techniques of the head and neck.

The multidisciplinary care approach will help ensure that patients receive high quality coordinated care, resulting in optimized treatment plans and better outcomes.  With the help of a dedicated care coordinator, a specially trained registered oncology nurse, patients with head/neck or musculoskeletal tumors will be guided through the continuum of care with integrated representation from all of the multidisciplinary specialties.

To reduce the time from detection to diagnosis to treatment, appointments with various physician specialists will be coordinated within 72 hours, culminating in a personalized pre-treatment conference. An additional goal of the new approach is to increase patient access to applicable clinical trials, many sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. (Hotlink to NCI)

Suburban Hospital’s Cancer Care program is dedicated to providing hope, compassion, and innovative care. Please contact our oncology nurse care coordinator, Amy Beer, at abeer@suburbanhospital.org for more information.