Cancer Doctors - Dr. Pankaj Vashi
This video features Dr. Pankaj Vashi, gastroenterologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) at Midwestern Regional Medical Center. Dr. Vashi recalls treating pancreatic cancer survivor Peggy Kessler with an interdisciplinary approach:
"I remember Peggy very well. She came to us in a wheelchair about five years ago. She was yellow because of jaundice. She had recently been diagnosed with pretty extensive, metastatic, widespread pancreatic cancer to the liver. She was very, very weak, and needed help to get out of bed. She was extremely sick.
When she started aggressive nutritional intervention, we noticed that she was starting to get better. She had a very dramatic response. There's no way I could have done it alone. She got care from her oncologist, she got care from her radiation doctor, she got care from a naturopathic doctor, and she got care from pastoral care and the mind-body department. So, it was multidisciplinary treatment.
I tell many of my patients that care of a patient is like a table with four legs, and you need all four legs to keep the table up."
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Dr. Pankaj Vashi: I am Dr. Pankaj Vashi. I am a gastroenterologist. I work at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
Less than 30% of the patients actually have nutrition addressed nationwide. Our approach is very different – 100% of our patients individually have one-on-one consultation with a nutritionist when they first come here.
I remember Peggy very well. She came to us in a wheelchair pretty much five years ago. She was yellow like an orange because of jaundice. She was just recently diagnosed to have pretty extensive metastatic widespread pancreatic cancer to the liver. She was very-very weak, needed help to get out of bed. She was extremely sick.
Things that were in her favor were that she was very positive-minded. She wanted to get treated. She was young. She had otherwise a very healthy body except for unfortunately bad disease. When she started the aggressive nutritional intervention we noticed that she was starting to get better and she had very dramatic response, there’s no way I could have done it all.
She got care from her oncologist. She got care from her radiation doctor. She got care from her naturopathic doctor. She got care from pastoral care and from mind-body department. So it’s a multidisciplinary treatment.
I tell many of my patients, I say care of a patient is like a table with four legs and you need all four legs to get the table up there, and the reason why I love what I do is because I see the effect; I see the impact that I have in patients with the change that I can make and make a difference in the life of lot of my patients, and that really is very satisfying to me.