Hoag Family Cancer Institute
(949) 722-6237
Hoag offers clinical trials in the following areas of the endocrine system: thyroid, adrenal, neuroendocrine, and pituitary. Part of the International Thyroid Oncology Group, we work with an international group of leading physicians, scientists, and advocates to test the safety and effectiveness of new strategies for diagnosing and treating thyroid cancer.
Hoag is the top choice for cancer care in Orange County, with cancer survival rates that continually exceed national averages. Our dedicated, world-class teams are wholly focused on helping you survive cancer, heal and move forward with your life.
“At Hoag, Melanie became the first person in Southern California to undergo a scarless transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy procedure.”
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Contact usWhile the cause of most endocrine tumors is unknown, certain inherited genetic conditions can increase a person’s risk of developing tumors in the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, or pituitary glands. For example, multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) Types 1 and 2 are hereditary syndromes associated with endocrine and neuroendocrine tumors.
Hoag’s Hereditary Cancer Program offers risk assessment counseling and genetic testing to individuals with a personal or family history of cancer. If you have a family history of thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas, neuroendocrine, or pituitary cancer, speak with your physician about whether genetic testing may be appropriate for you.
Accurate diagnosis and staging of endocrine tumors are critical in developing an effective treatment plan and achieving the best outcomes. Endocrine tumors are complex and can be challenging to diagnose. For these reasons, it is important to seek treatment from a team with high levels of experience and expertise.
Hoag’s Endocrine Tumors Program team is skilled in the accurate diagnosis of endocrine tumors. Recent advances in nuclear imaging technology have improved physicians’ ability to accurately detect and evaluate endocrine tumors. Hoag is a leader in these progressive techniques and advanced imaging technology, giving patients every advantage.
Beginning with a thorough evaluation that includes a comprehensive physical exam, personal medical history review and state-of-the-art diagnostic workup, Hoag’s multidisciplinary team of endocrine tumor experts carefully evaluate and pinpoint the nature of the cancer, so the most appropriate personalized treatment options can be employed.
The following tests may be used to determine if you have an endocrine tumor and may also be used to see how your cancer is responding to treatment:
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to generate pictures of internal organs and can be used to detect tumors in various locations of the body.
Endoscopic Ultrasound uses a special endoscope with an ultrasound device placed within the digestive tract.
Computed tomography (CT) combines special X-ray equipment with sophisticated computers to produce multiple images useful in the detection of adrenal, thyroid, neuroendocrine, and pituitary tumors.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) produces images of the body’s internal structures by passing radio waves through a powerful magnetic field. This imaging technology is often used in diagnosing adrenal, thyroid, neuroendocrine, and pituitary tumors.
PET scans can be useful in determining if tumors are benign or malignant and if cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Gallium 68 Dotatate is a radioactive substance that when injected into the veins, and allow tumors to be seen by PET/MRI or PET/CT. It is a significant advance in the detection and evaluation of neuroendocrine and carcinoid tumors. Hoag is among the first hospitals to offer the advanced imaging technology.
PET/MRI is a revolutionary hybrid imaging technology that combines magnetic resonance imaging with positron emission tomography, providing more detailed information than either technique can alone, in one step. Hoag is the first hospital on the West Coast to routinely offer MR / PET to patients.
Laparoscopy may help determine if cancer has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body. A laparoscope is a thin, flexible tube with a small video camera on the end, which is inserted through a small surgical opening on the side of the body.
Blood and Urine Tests may be used to look for high levels of the hormones made by some endocrine tumors.
Biopsy involves removing a sample of tissue containing the abnormal cells and evaluating them under a microscope to determine if they are cancerous. Several different types of biopsies may be used in diagnosing endocrine cancer.
Tumors found in the hormone-producing glands of the endocrine system are rare and can be complex to treat. That’s why it’s important to seek treatment from a center with experience and expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of endocrine tumors.
Recent scientific breakthroughs have led to new treatment options for patients with endocrine tumors. Hoag is on the forefront of many of these advanced therapeutic options and is committed to providing the latest advances in care to our patients.
Hoag’s Endocrine Tumors Program provides a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of endocrine tumors in the thyroid, parathyroids, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, intestines and pancreas. Our team of physician specialists consist of fellowship trained surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, advanced endoscopists, and endocrinologists who work together to develop comprehensive, individualized treatment plans for each patient. Hoag’s team also includes nurses, support staff and other professionals who help patients and their families cope with the emotional and practical aspects of the disease.
Hoag Family Cancer Institute provides comprehensive care tailored to each patient. Your treatment may include one or more of the following modalities:
In most cases, surgery is the primary form of treatment for endocrine tumors and offers the best outcome. Your surgeon will determine the best surgical approach based on the type of tumor, its location, size, and whether it has spread to lymph nodes or other organs in the body. Hoag’s endocrine surgeons employ minimally invasive approaches whenever possible.
Because endocrine tumors are rare, it is important to seek care from a surgeon who is experienced and knowledgeable about your disease. At Hoag, our surgeons are subspecialty trained in endocrine surgery and often operate on patients with advanced endocrine cancer.
Transoral Thyroidectomy – Hoag first in Southern California to perform transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy, a scarless approach to removing the thyroid gland.
Chemotherapy may be used in the treatment of some endocrine tumors depending on the stage of the cancer. Chemotherapy uses drugs that destroy cancer cells or stop them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken orally or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach the body. This is called systemic therapy. Chemotherapy drugs may be given on their own or in combination with other anti-cancer drugs. Newer targeted agents may be offered that exploit genetic vulnerabilities in the cancer cells and generally have less toxic side-effects for the patient. Where possible, the patients may have genetic analysis of their cancer samples to help doctors select the best treatment for them, a process known as Precision Medicine.
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays or other particles to destroy cancer cells. The goal of radiation therapy is to destroy cancer cells or stop their growth while sparing the healthy surrounding tissue.
External beam radiation therapy uses sophisticated machines to aim high-energy rays or beams from outside the body into the tumor. External beam radiation may be used in the treatment of certain endocrine tumors. Hoag Radiation Oncology offers the most comprehensive selection of advanced radiation technology in Orange County.
For patients with thyroid cancer, radioactive iodine is administered as an oral pill and is taken up by cancer cells and designed to kill the cancer cells selectively. Hoag became one of first hospitals in the county to use a new FDA-approved liquid form of radiation called Lutathera™ to treat patients with metastatic carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. This treatment guides the radiative particle 177Lutium to the tumor cells by binding to a cell surface protein unique to these cancer cells.
Recent scientific breakthroughs in the understanding of endocrine tumors are expanding treatment options for some patients. Hoag Family Cancer Institute is committed to providing patients access to the newest and most promising therapies close to home.
Hoag is a member of the International Thyroid Oncology Group (ITOG) and A5 Alliance for adrenal cancer. These consortiums bring together leading physicians, scientists, and advocates to facilitate groundbreaking clinical research to deliver the latest scientific advances to patients. Through Hoag’s participation, patients eligible for a clinical trial have access to some therapies that are not available anywhere else in Orange County or even Southern California.
Hoag Family Cancer Institute also offers phase I and II clinical trials that test new anti-cancer therapies. If you are eligible to participate in a clinical trial, you may have access to new treatment options that are not widely available.
Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy is a technique where trained surgeons access the thyroid through three small incisions inside the mouth, between the gum line and lower lip. Through these access points, a surgeon utilizes an endoscope to view and remove the affect thyroid.
Unlike traditional thyroidectomy, where surgeons make up to a two inch incision on the throat, leaving a noticeable scar, the transoral thyroidectomy allows for a scarless approach to care.
Hoag is the first in Southern California to perform this procedure, led by surgeons Michael Demeure, M.D. and Colleen Coleman, M.D.
Thomas Wang, M.D., Ph.D., is a board-certified surgical oncologist with the Hoag Family Cancer Institute and the medical director of the Hoag Melanoma/Advanced Skin Cancer Program. Dr. Wang comes to Hoag after spending the previous 15 years at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he served as a Professor of Surgery at the UAB School of Medicine and Chief of Surgical Oncology for the Birmingham VA Medical Center. He is a recognized author and researcher and has published over 40 original manuscripts in peer- reviewed scientific journals and ten book chapters. He has presented his clinical and basic science research at multiple national and international meetings. Dr. Wang is a graduate of Brown University and attended the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. He completed his general surgery residency training at Drexel University College of Medicine/Hahnemann University Hospital and his surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Wang’s clinical interests include melanoma, soft tissue sarcomas and endocrine surgery. Dr. Wang is an active member on multiple national surgical societies, including the Association for Academic Surgery, the Society of University Surgeons, the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Oncology. In addition, since 2007, he is a panel member in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, developing guidelines for the treatment of thyroid cancer.
Breast Surgery
Dr. Michael Demeure is a fellowship trained endocrine surgeon and an internationally recognized expert in cancer surgery and research with particular expertise in endocrine, pancreatic, and gastrointestinal cancers. He has recently joined the Hoag community as the Medical Director for Precision Medicine.<br><br>He previously practiced in Scottsdale, Arizona His clinical focus is on tumors of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, and pancreas. He has been recognized as a top surgeon in the Phoenix area and nationally. Dr. Demeure is a graduate of Hahnemann Medical College and completed his residency at the University of Arizona. He subsequently completed a fellowship in endocrine surgery in Perth, Australia and at the University of California, San Francisco. He previously held faculty positions at the Medical College of Wisconsin, as Professor and Chief of General Surgery at the University of Arizona, and most recently as Scientific Director, Center for Pancreatic and Endocrine Surgery, Scottsdale Healthcare, and Professor and Director of the Rare Tumors Program in the Division of Integrated Cancer Genomics, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). In 2007, Dr. Demeure completed his Master’s Degree in Business Administration at the University of Arizona. Dr. Demeure is a past President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, is regularly recognized as one “America’s Top Surgeons”, and has been named as on the “Best Doctors in America” every year since 2001.<br><br>While maintaining a very busy clinical practice and performing over 300 major operations annually, Dr. Demeure has led an active research lab for over 20 years with the majority of those efforts centered on using genomic technologies to develop novel biomarkers, new therapeutic targets, and related therapies in the management of endocrine and gastrointestinal cancers. His efforts has included his participation as a Co-or Principle Investigator on some of the landmark trials in these same areas. Dr. Demeure is the author or co-author of over 100 scholarly works and he has given over 150 invited lectures and presentations. As the chief of general surgery at the University of Arizona, he led the student clerkship to excellence recognized by the department winning an award as the best clerkship designated by graduating students. He led several quality programs and was responsible for recruiting. In the first 3 years in the role, he led the division to financial profitability from a recurring yearly deficit.<br><br>Dr. Demeure was born in New York City, New York and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His father was from Belgium and his mother is from Argentina; as such Dr. Demeure speaks both Spanish and French in addition to English. He and his wife Sara have two daughters and a son. Dr. Demeure has a black belt in Taekwondo and is currently studying Kung Fu. His other interests include reading, cooking, photography, and skiing.
Ronald Wolf, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a board-certified surgical oncologist who specializes in treating liver, bile duct and pancreatic cancer at Hoag Family Cancer Institute. His clinical interests include pancreatic adenocarcinoma, colon and rectal cancers that have metastasized to the liver, surgical treatment for bile duct tumors and cysts and surgery for soft tissue sarcoma. Previously, Dr. Wolf served as Professor of Clinical Surgery in the Department of Surgery, Division of Hepatobiliary & Pancreas Surgery/Islet Cell Transplantation at UC Irvine School of Medicine and Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. Prior to that, he served as Medical Director of Hepatic and Pancreatic Surgery at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center in Portland, Oregon, and as the Medical Director of Liver and Pancreas Surgery at Providence Cancer Center, also in Portland. Dr. Wolf received his medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, followed by an internship and two residencies in general surgery at UC Davis. He then completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where he also served as a clinical research fellow. Later, he helped direct surgical resident and fellowship-level postgraduate training programs in Portland. Dr. Wolf has co-authored more than 80 clinical presentations throughout his career and is a committee member of several national organizations including the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology and the AHPBA Americas Hepatopancreatobiliary Association.
<p>Tara Seery, M.D., attended University College Dublin School of Medicine followed by an internship at Mater Misericordiae Hospital as well as an internship and residency at Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston. She then completed fellowships in hematology/oncology at both Caritas St. Elizabeth Medical Center and University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Seery is board certified in Medical Oncology and Hematology.</p><p>Dr. Seery is particularly interested in GI oncology, including hepatobiliary cancers such as pancreatic, liver and bile duct cancers.</p><p>She has served as the primary investigator on several clinical research trials, co-authored numerous medical publications and abstracts, and edited multiple peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, she has given clinical presentations both across the U.S. and abroad. </p><p>Dr. Seery’s teaching experience spans the areas of medical and graduate level courses including a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Annual Lecture Series on Pancreatic Cancer, Liver Cancer and the Management of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma at UC Irvine’s 5th Annual Gastroenterology and Hepatology Symposium. In addition, she oversaw a group of Hematology/Oncology Fellows at the University of California Irvine Outpatient Clinic.</p><p>Dr. Seery is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology.</p>
Hoag’s Precision Medicine Program combines genomics and genetics to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases. Using the latest advances in genomic technologies, targeted therapies and research, our precision medicine program brings together a multidisciplinary team, including a robust genetic counseling group of experts, to provide patients with the latest in innovation and technology.
Being diagnosed with cancer can feel overwhelming at times. Many patients and their families need help with coping and can benefit from supportive counseling. Oncology Clinical Social Workers are available to provide emotional and practical support during all stages of cancer including diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment survivorship.
Hoag Family Cancer Institute dietitians work closely with patients’ physicians, nurses, therapists, and social workers to ensure complete care.
Thyroid Cancer Nurse Navigator – Tina Corriere, B.S.N., R.N., O.C.N.
Gastrointestinal Cancer Nurse Navigator – Diane Eadie, R.N., B.S.N.
At Hoag, we offer a variety of support services led by a caring clinical and social work team.
Clinical nurse navigators are a unique asset to Hoag. They serve as a guide for patients, answering questions and providing support through each phase of treatment. Nurse Navigators provide:
Emotional support and guidance for the newly diagnosed cancer patient and family
Education for patients and family members about cancer
Information about community resources and Hoag support services
Help in coordinating the patient’s multidisciplinary care plan
Assistance in navigating the healthcare system during and after treatment
Cancer Support Services offers a variety of classes to support and educate patients during and after cancer. These classes and workshops are all free of charge.
One-On-One Counseling with an oncology social worker
Fitter Image Exercise Programs, including yoga, pilates and energizing cardio and toning
Workshops for Well-Being, including free flow writing, meditation, reiki and creative art classes
Oncology Dietitians – Hoag Family Cancer Institute provides two dedicated Registered Dietitians who are available to advise patients on nutrition and provide resources for a healthier diet before, during and after cancer treatment.
Hereditary Cancer Program – Hoag offers both genetic counseling and genetic testing for individuals concerned about hereditary cancer.
Pastoral Care – provides spiritual support & counseling services to patients, families, and the community.
CARES Program – For patients experiencing high pain or symptom burden during treatment, the Hoag CARES Team can help. Board-certified Palliative Care physicians, nurses and social workers are available to help manage physical and emotional symptoms alongside your cancer care team.
