Surgical Oncologist, The Oregon Clinic
Surgical oncologist Paul Hansen, M.D., specializes in high-risk surgeries that are often a patient’s best hope for surviving a rare and deadly cancer. Cancers of the liver, pancreas and bile ducts affect tens of thousands of Americans annually. But because these cancers are less common and often detected later than other cancers, a surgeon might typically see only one or two such patients a year.
In contrast, Dr. Hansen’s Liver and Pancreas Clinic sees more than 200 such patients annually. By concentrating surgical and oncological expertise in this single magnet center, Dr. Hansen is creating resources and pathways for patients to be treated quickly with state-of-the-art technology and by an exceptionally skilled and experienced medical team.
A fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a clinical associate professor of surgery at Oregon Health & Science University, Dr. Hansen graduated from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Today, he is improving quality of care in the Northwest and beyond by sharing his expertise and surgical protocols with fellow cancer specialists through peer-reviewed research publications and regular educational forums.
- Dr. Hansen has developed the leading surgical practice in the Northwest specializing in minimally invasive approaches to treating liver and pancreatic cancer. These surgical procedures typically result in shorter hospital stays, less postoperative pain, fewer complications, less scarring and faster recovery than with standard surgeries.
- Radiofrequency ablation and the hepatic artery infusion pump are some of the groundbreaking technologies that Dr. Hansen has advanced for treating liver tumors.
- Dr. Hansen is pioneering laparoscopy as a preferred diagnostic tool for some cancer patients. His 2005 published study demonstrated that laparoscopy prevented unnecessary major surgical procedures in 25 percent of patients and altered the treatment plan of another 25 percent of patients in the study.
“Patients need the right treatment. Sometimes that means a big surgery, but ideally we can get control of a cancer through a smaller procedure that is just as effective and more easily tolerated by the patient. At the Liver and Pancreas Clinic at Providence Cancer Center, we are pioneering new surgical interventions that are less invasive and potentially curative for some of the most serious cancers.”