Has anyone had Esophageal cancer surgery at USC?

Has anyone had Esophageal cancer surgery at USC in Los Angeles?  Do you have any thoughts on the faculty, experience, etc? 

i had my surgery at memorial sloan kettering in NYC.  i did a lot of research in finding my surgeon because i knew how rare and big this kinda surgery was.  i am fortunate enough to live in NYC and have access to some of the best dr.s in the world...however, if i did not live here i would have definitely considered coming here for treatment anyway....

only you know what is best for you, but i recommend finding a surgeon who specializes in this type of surgery and has performed the procedure many times.

 if you would like information on my dr. let me know....i think she is magnificent and i wouldn't have wanted anyone else to have done my surgery.

good luck and God bless!

Quite a few doctors have recommended Dr. Jeffrey A. Hagen at USC. He is really well known. Probably the best I have heard of. I don't know if he does the Minimally Invasive surgery or not. Here is a link: http://www.doctorsofusc.com/doctor/bio/view/176 What stage is the cancer? Kim

Hi Stacey & Kim, Thanks for responding. We live in San Diego, so USC is far more convenient. When choosing a surgeon, I was between Dr. Rusch in NYC (was that your doctor, Stacey?), and Dr. Hagen at USC. We ended up going with Dr. Hagen for a number of reasons (money and distance being the primary factors). I was extremely impressed with him and his experience, and my dad's IL surgery for Stage III cancer in August 2008 went well. However, my dad developed serious pulmonary complications (ARDS) after a hernia repair operation a five months after his IL surgery. It is extremely distressing to not know what caused this. I suspect that the lungs were damaged from frequent vomiting after his esophajectomy, and they were stressed because the bowels in the chest cavity (hernia) had compressed them. I am curious to learn others' experiences with surgeons at USC, to see if they had similar complications and what the outcome was. I still think Dr. Hagen is an excellent surgeon, but i cant shake the nagging thought that there has to be someone else out there with the same problem, despite Dr. Hagen's excellent statistics for this type of operation. I don't understand how my father was cured of his Stage 3 cancer, only to succumb to a life threatening breathing condition from a HERNIA months later. Stacey, would you mind sharing your doctor's contact info? I would like to gather my father's records and get an outside opinion from another doctor. I have no intentions of suing, as I dont believe our doctors did anything medically wrong. However, I don't think they were entirely forthcoming with me either for the fear that I might seek legal action, which would be a "hassle" in their opinion. I just want to know what cased the hernia in the first place (we were told that the stitched came loose, but they dont know why, and have only seen one other case in 15 years). Were you ever informed that a hernia was a possible complication?? I hope my rambling makes sense. My brain has been fried lately. Stacey, I have seen several of your postings on this site and have found them very helpful. I am so thankful that you are doing well. You have been an inspiration to me, and to many others on this site, I am sure. I wish I would have learned of this message board when my dad was first diagnosed. Sincerley, Jessica

Husband signed a release pre surgically that listed all kinds of possible complications. I never saw him do it, but was given a copy at some point by the surgeon. The list is long and bowel injury or death is included, and herniated bowel definitely fits into that description. I have seen at least 4-5 others in the past year who have had this complication in the other esophageal group I belong to (seems to be much larger group), so it is not that uncommon. Adhesions can contribute to it, but adhesions are a risk in any surgery...it's just the way tissues heal. I also think in our case, that my husband brought it on himself partly by overdoing and straining since the pain started after using a snowblower, and got progressively worse over the course of a few weeks. I don't think people realize how major this surgery is (11 on a scale of 1-10 is what the surgeon's nurse said weeks after the surgery). I also don't think they realize how long it takes to heal, or that there will be things they may never be able to do again. When you face death with cancer you fight it anyway you can, and don't think about the fact that it will not be the same person left at the end. If we thought about the possible residual side effects of chemo, most of us would think twice before we let them infuse us. A restricted life is much better than no life at all.

Hi Jessica!

Yes, my dr. was Valerie Rusch.  I will send you a PM with her info. ; )