Division Director
Steven E. Waggoner, MD; Professor, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs
Faculty
- Amy Armstrong, MD; Assistant Professor
- Christa Nagel, MD; Assistant Professor
- John Nakayama, MD; Assistant Professor
- Kristine M. Zanotti, MD; Associate Professor, Director of Resident Research; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Fellowship Program Director, Gynecologic Oncology
- Jeanne Capretta
- Jan Maxon, RN, MSN, AOCN, ACNP - BC
- Emily Peterson, RN, MSN, WHNP
The Division’s guiding principal is not treating cancer, but treating women with cancer. Patients are an integral part of the decision-making process and, in all cases, a top priority is given to preserving a women’s physical and emotional health.
Women who receive their care at Seidman Cancer Center benefit from having treatment coordinated by gynecologic oncologists specializing in the evaluation and management of women with suspected or confirmed gynecologic malignancies. The Division’s four gynecologic oncologists collaborate with other team members at Ireland including chemotherapy nurse specialists, social workers, psychotherapists, and an office staff aware of the special concerns of women with gynecologic cancers. Management for each woman is individualized and may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, care of treatment-related side effects and, when needed, coordination of hospice or palliative care.
Our Gynecologic Oncologists are members of NRG Oncology which brings together the unique and complementary research areas of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG). NRG Oncology builds upon our more than 150 years of cumulative research experience to conduct practice defining, multi-institutional clinical trials resulting in the improved survival and quality of life of patients with cancer, thus Seidman patients also have access to the latest developments in NIH-sponsored clinical research. These include trials for women with newly diagnosed or recurrent cancers, as well as studies aimed at preventing gynecologic cancers or improving the accuracy of early diagnosis. One trial is now enrolling women at high risk for ovarian cancer that is designed to detect the disease in its earliest stage or prevent it from developing at all. At any given time the Division has between 25 and 30 open clinical trials. The Division’s members hold leadership roles in the GOG and participate in its cooperative clinical trials. In addition to its ongoing NRG studies, the Division also focuses on developing investigator-initiated trials.