Chief of Department: Dr. Pablo Curutchet

Professional Team
Dr. Manuel Montesinos
Dr. Jorge Falco
Dr. Diego Cíngara
Dr. Julio Moreno 
Dr. Paula Ferro

Among all medical specialties, Oncology is  “young” and only acknowleged as such in the US in 1972. Despite the latest scientific and technological development in this field, cancer still ranks among the three most common causes of death.
FLENI offers a multidisciplinary approach to oncology and provides effective quality service focusing not only on the scientific  and technological aspects but also on ethics and patient morale in preventive care, diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation of oncological patients.
The Oncologic Surgery Department works closely to coordinate efforts with Hematology, Radiation Therapy, Pathology, Mental Health, Neurooncology, Diagnostic Imaging and Rehabilitation.

Mission
Medical and Surgical Oncology emphasizes excellence in low, intermediate and high complexity evaluation and treatment of oncological patients focusing primarily on family support but also embracing the psychological, biological, social and spiritual aspects and paying special attention to bioethics and promoting humane medical care.

Objective
The objective of this department is to meet all the needs that arise during the evolution of the disease in a single center with a specialized team of experts who works to deliver preventive care, early detection, rational use of diagnostic procedures, correct and timely therapeutical initiatives and coordinates efforts to achieve the best possible outcome in close relation with patients and families until the end of the treatment.

The role of surgery
Oncological Surgery is part of the multidisciplinary approach to cancer provided at FLENI but it is not strictly limited to surgery.  Nowadays, timely diagnosis and effective initial therapy pose a double challenge where new early detection methods, microscopic regional dissemination (sentinel tumors) and non-palpable breast lesions, among others, together with proper surgery performed in processes that request large resections using complex surgery or adjuvant therapies -such as intrasurgical oncology radiation therapy- are essential. Oncological Surgery actively participates throughout the process in cases of benign or malign tumors .
Additionally, new waiting-time reducers and resource enhancement technologies contribute to improved, more accurate evaluation such as imaging-guided puncture or immediate diagnostic cytology and videoendoscopic and translaparoscopic diagnosis and staging and therapy that guarantee faster recovery and a more comfortable life quality.
The health care system is a network of ever more specialized healthcare centers that need more precise missions and objectives at each level of care. Consequently, Level II Centers and Hospitals must offer excellence in specialized inpatient high complexity evaluation and treatment. More than 80% of the healthcare centers in developed countries that deliver high complexity inpatient services also have their own Oncological Surgery teams.

What is the role of the oncologist surgeon?
The oncologist surgeon is a qualified clinical surgeon with adittional training and experience in oncology who is almost exclusively devoted to cancer interventions. This professional is the natural leader of the multidisciplinary team treating patients with tumors and their families. Resolution and leadership are essential to manage the wide array of cancer evaluation and therapy services available.  Furthermore, a 1981 research study conducted in the US revealed that out of 123 departments, 73% had cancer-related programs. In many of them, resources and actions overlapped and only a few offered integrated services.  The strategy of introducing Oncological Surgery as part of a comprehensive approach to cancer resulted in improved services in many of these centers. 
We strongly believe that education and continuing training should be encouraged so that oncological surgeons make the best decisions in situations involving patients with cancer considering the effective use of the available resources, team work, family support, quality medical care and humane values.

What does oncological surgery involve?
As mentioned above, oncological surgery is an innovative approach to cancer evaluation and treatment with several surgical procedures that are not regularly performed in clinical surgery. It covers prevention, repair and rehabilitation.
Oncological surgery is particularly useful in tumors without an integrated solution. In such cases patients must visit several specialists and they feel frustrated, wasting time, resources and, in some cases, this lack of integration even goes against satisfactory prognosis. Oncological surgery is particularly involved in head and neck, breast, endocrine, soft tissue and skin tumors as well as surrounding tissue tumors and  large loco-regional invasive  tumors that need complex surgery, such as  pelvian tumors, etc.
Furthermore, oncological surgery may go hand in hand with reconstructive surgery which is performed during complex resections to optimize patient comfort and  life quality, provide faster recovery and contribute to adequate patient social and labor integration.
It is also worth mentioning that tumor surgery is not the exclusive field of oncological surgeons since the location of tumors, in some cases, needs timely and qualified solutions in other surgery subspecialties such as neurology, orthopedics, thorax or gastroenterlogy, among others. Anyway, the special qualification of oncological surgeons make them the ideal second opinion to indicate radical surgery treatment in patients who were initially discouraged to take up this course of action.  This highly specialized discipline calls for FLENI’s excellence and quality service in highly complex and qualified  technical and professional resources.

To further inform about the field of oncological surgery, these are the most common benign and malign tumors:

- Breast tumors and pretumor breast processes, also
- Intraoral tumors
- Superior digestive tract tumor (i.e. pharynx and larynx)
- Salivary glands tumors (i.e. parotid and submandibular glands)
- Thyroid tumors
- Lateral neck tumors (i.e.: ganglions and lymph nodes dissemination)
- Breast tumors, pretumoral breast processes, also
- Endocrine tumors (i.e. suprarenal)
- Soft tissue tumors (i.e. sarcomas and angiomas)
- Skin and surrounding tissue tumors (i.e.: melanoma and basocelular)
- Loco-regional invasive tumors

Consultation offices
Consultation: Monday to Friday from 9 to 12 am (7th  floor, extension 2714, secretary 2703)
Ongoing interconsultation. Please call  extension 2703 from 9 to 12 am.