GI Treatments & Clinical Services

The UCLA Gastrointestinal Oncology Program is a world leader in research and innovation for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers. Depending on your needs, your integrated care team may include gastroenterologists, oncologists, surgeons and radiologists. We use the most up-to-date techniques and technologies to offer your best chance for a cure.

Our doctors are experts in the latest treatments and services, including genetics, immunotherapy and advanced diagnosis and surgery. Many available clinical trials offer access to developing treatments, and our rich history of research means your providers have years of experience in the newest therapies.

Gastrointestinal Oncology Treatment: The UCLA Difference

When you come to UCLA for gastrointestinal cancer (GI) treatment, you will receive the resources of a large academic medical center in a personal, caring environment. Your customized care plan will draw on our:

• Therapies for every GI cancer: Our team can diagnose and treat early-stage tumors, and our doctors are equally skilled at managing complex cancers such as neuroendocrine tumors, pancreatic cancer, bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma) and liver cancer. Our transplantation center offers one of the world's leading liver transplant programs.
• Leaders in new cancer therapies: Many of our doctors are nationally or internationally known for their work in developing and using effective new cancer therapies. For some metastatic cancers, we helped develop the drugs that are the current standard of care, and we continue to explore new treatments every day.
• Advanced clinical trials: Phase 3 trials, the final phase before a new therapy is approved, offer the most promising new therapies. Our team has led many phase 3 trials and offers many early-stage clinical trials studying new innovations. See our clinical trials.
• Supportive care: UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center offers psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers who specifically help support people with cancer. You can access services including counseling, acupuncture and support groups that complement your medical treatment. Learn more about the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology.
• Interpreter services: People who are not fluent in English can still confidently receive care at UCLA. Our nursing team includes speakers of most of the major languages spoken in Los Angeles, including Spanish, Arabic, Farsi, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Thai, Vietnamese and more. Medical translators can accompany you to appointments if needed. Learn more about us.

UCLA Gastrointestinal Oncology Program: Treatments We Offer

Our skilled surgeons perform thousands of treatments every year on patients with a variety of GI conditions. Depending on your diagnosis, possible treatments may include:

Specialized imaging

Our radiologists use a wide array of imaging modalities. Get specific information about our imaging technology, including:

• Complex CT scans and MRI scans to find even small tumors deep in the body
• Endoscopic ultrasound to locate tumor growth in the esophagus, intestine or colon
• Gallium-68 PET scans to diagnose neuroendocrine tumors
• Angiography to analyze cancer growth in blood vessels and bile ducts

Precise surgery

Our surgical team includes experts in some of the most challenging procedures to treat gastrointestinal cancer. Our surgeons perform more than 100 Whipple procedures each year, a high number for this complex surgery to treat pancreatic cancer, liver cancer and bile duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma).

Minimally invasive and nonsurgical treatment

For many conditions, doctors can resect (remove) tumors without surgery or with only small incisions. Less-invasive, robotically assisted surgical techniques enable surgeons to remove tumors with less discomfort, reduced risk of complications and shorter recovery times.

Your doctor may also offer nonsurgical treatment through interventional radiology and endoscopic procedures. Find out about the conditions we treat.

Precision medicine

Targeted therapies can manage a rare mutation in biliary (bile duct and gallbladder) cancers. UCLA helped develop this therapy for patients who have a mutation in a specific gene. Our dedicated geneticists also work with new immunotherapies for colon cancer and gastric (stomach) cancer. Get more information about the  UCLA Hereditary Cancer Risk Program.

HIPEC

UCLA is one of the only teams on the West Coast to offer hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemoperfusion (HIPEC). This therapy bathes your abdominal cavity in a warmed chemotherapy solution, which directly destroys cancer cells in the GI tract. Learn more about HIPEC.

Contact Us

To schedule an appointment with the UCLA Gastrointestinal Oncology Program, please call the UCLA Cancer Hotline at 888-ONC- UCLA (888-662-8252) Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, or our Physician Referral Service at 1-800- UCLA-MD1 (310-825-2631).