Access and Communication
Critical to Brain Tumor Care
To refer a patient, call the Referring Physician Concierge
Service at 866-742-4811, fax the referral to 650-320-9443
or send an email e-mail . For
help with a referral or to talk about a patient, call Dr. Chang’s
office directly at 650-736-1134 or email Dr.Chang.
When a patient receives a brain tumor diagnosis, the ensuing days or weeks it takes to see a neurosurgeon are torturous. Patients lose sleep, are anxious, stop eating. Even waiting three to five days for an appointment can be intolerable.
Steven D. Chang, MD, the Robert C. and Jeannette Powell Professor in the Neurosciences department at Stanford, understands the urgency of a brain tumor referral. That’s why many physicians in the Bay Area have Chang’s private cell phone number. That’s also why he will double or triple book patients to see a new referral within 24 hours.
“Brain surgery is one of those areas in medicine where the
speed of seeing a referral is critical for the referring physician,” says Chang, who is also co-director of the CyberKnife program
at Stanford. “Patients with brain tumors are understandably
very anxious. You can’t tell that patient the next appointment
is in two weeks.”
Why Stanford for brain surgery?
Chang is part of a comprehensive neurosurgery program at
Stanford. In the field of brain tumors, Chang is one of four neurosurgeons
that includes John Adler, MD; Griffith Harsh, MD;
and Larry Shuer, MD. Stanford’s highly specialized, multidisciplinary
brain tumor program also includes two radiation
oncologists and a neuro oncologist. Surgeons use image guided
navigation to conduct precise surgical procedures, and
inter-operative monitoring to track the electrical activity of the
brain during surgery. Stanford also has neuro anesthesiologists
on staff to care for patients during surgery.
“Brain tumor patients who come to Stanford for surgery benefit from our large volume,” Chang explains. “By combining
the latest advances in brain surgery with our CyberKnife technology,
Stanford is able to give patients optimal tumor treatment
and better outcomes.”
Leader in CyberKnife radiosurgery
CyberKnife radiosurgery was invented at Stanford in 1994 by
John Adler. CyberKnife is a painless, incision-less alternative
to surgery for the treatment of tumors in the brain, spine, lung,
liver, pancreas or prostate. It is also being used to treat other
neurologic disorders such as epilepsy, trigeminal neuralgia
(facial pain) and arteriovenous malformation (AVM).
CyberKnife radiosurgery delivers highly precise, high dose
radiation without the use of cumbersome and painful stereotactic
frames. Stanford’s CyberKnife program has treated nearly
5,000 patients, more than any other program in the country,
says Chang.
With two CyberKnife devices available at Stanford, patients
can be scheduled quickly. “We have more flexibility in scheduling
patients than other centers,” says Chang. “We understand
that the faster you can get the CyberKnife treatment
done, the less disruption it will be for a patient’s other cancer
treatments such as chemotherapy regimens.”
Partnering with community physicians
Communicating with referring physicians is a personal mission
of Chang’s. He believes it’s tantamount to providing excellent
care. He makes sure physicians know how to reach
him to talk about their patients, even if that means giving out
his personal cell phone number or calling referring doctors from
the operating room or clinic to let the referring doctor know
how their patient is doing post-op.
When patients require treatment beyond surgery, Stanford
surgeons communicate back to the referring doctor to determine
who will handle additional therapies such as chemotherapy
or radiation. If the referring physician is an oncologist or
radiation oncologist who is capable of doing their part in the
treatment, we can get the patient back into the community
to receive follow-up treatment and care, Chang explains. “I
don’t want to disrupt the physician-patient relationship,” he
adds.
On the flip side, however, Stanford has a strong multidisciplinary program to handle a patient’s brain tumor surgery, as well as any adjunctive therapy required after surgery. For some primary care physicians, knowing they can send their patient to Stanford for comprehensive treatment of brain tumors is preferred, adds Chang.
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