Department of Medicine

Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition

U.S. News ranks Shands at UF among nation's best hospitals

The Department of Medicine had the highest ranking in Florida in three specialties: cardiology & heart surgery (tied for 27th nationally); pulmonology (28th nationally); and nephrology (tied for 35th nationally). DOM was also ranked in cancer (35th nationally) and gastroenterology (38th nationally). <Full article>

Dress in BLUE to Kick-Off Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month!

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths, but it's easily prevented with regular screenings and is highly survivable when caught early. To help spread the word about saving lives through regular screenings, wear your blues to work on Friday, March 2!

To increase the friendly competition, GI Oncology Nurse Navigator Amanda Sandlin, R.N., and Advanced Endoscopy Nurse Coordinator Amanda Henderson, R.N., will judge unit/ward participation and will select the one that epitomizes the Best in Blues spirit! The winning ward will win a pizza party, coffee gift cards, and a UF&Shands Best In Blues T-shirt! So get your rears in gear and wear your Blues on Friday, March 2!
For more UF&Shands Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month activities, visit cancer.ufl.edu!

Combining therapies appears safe, may benefit patients with advanced liver cancer, UF scientists say

Few treatments exist for patients with advanced primary liver cancer, but University of Florida researchers have found a new way to broaden the range of options and potentially improve health outcomes by combining two treatments.

In the first study of its kind, the researchers combined sorafenib, the only Food and Drug Administration-approved pill for treating advanced liver cancer, with another routinely used therapy known as transarterial chemoembolization, which works by cutting off the blood supply to tumors. No unexpected toxic effects were seen, and the combo appears to have the potential to improve survival for certain groups of patients. <Read full article> 

UF hepatologists test chemotherapy pill in patients with advanced liver cancer, cirrhosis

Hepatologists at the University of Florida have begun a new clinical trial in search of a better way to treat patients who have advanced, inoperable primary liver cancer but have trouble tolerating standard doses of the only drug available to help them.

Funded through a $650,000 grant from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., the makers and marketers of Sorafenib — the only FDA-approved drug for advanced liver cancer — the six-month, randomized pilot study will evaluate whether patients with a dual diagnosis of cirrhosis and liver cancer are better able to tolerate the drug if given doses that differ from the manufacturer’s recommendation.
<Click here for more info>

New UF Study Examines Patient Treatment Decisions for Colorectal Cancer

A new University of Florida study from a multidisciplinary team, including
Dr. Shahnaz Sultan, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor in the department of medicine, will take an in-depth look at the factors involved in treatment decisions made by people with colorectal cancer. The study is funded by a $1.2 million grant from Bankhead-Coley Florida Cancer Research Program, administered through the Florida Department of Health. <Click here for more info>