Since 1925 the Vanderbilt Department of Surgery has evolved to fulfill its original mission to focus on education, research and answer the needs of it-s patient-s healthcare. In 1997 the Division of Surgical Oncology & Endocrine Surgery was founded, under the leadership of Dr. Daniel Beauchamp as it-s first chairman.
Our physicians focus on cutting-edge surgical techniques to remove benign and cancerous tumors including intraoperative ultrasonography, liver targeted therapies, hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, intraoperative radiation, sentinel lymph node biopsy, as well as minimally invasive techniques such as robotic surgery.
The Division-s research physicians and investigators have become a primary force for acquiring and banking cancerous tissue samples, a vital first step in the delivery of personalized medicine.
Translational research projects are backed by federal and department-sponsored funding allowing the use of these samples which determine what molecules or markers drive tumor growth. Novel therapies that block activation of these markers can be developed allowing targeted drugs personally tuned to each patients needs.
Vanderbilt-s reputation for excellence is recognized nationally by U.S. News and World Report who consistently highly rank 12 of 16 adult medical and surgical specialties annually.
The Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) is a NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. It is one of only 45 such centers in the United States and the only Comprehensive Cancer Center in Tennessee providing adult and pediatric treatment.