Robert A. Wascher, MD, FACS – Surgical Oncologist
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Medical Degree
Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE
Internship / Residency
Surgery - Letterman Army Medical Center, San Francisco
Surgery - Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu
Fellowships
Neurosurgery - Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX
Surgical Oncology - John Wayne Cancer Institute, Santa Monica, CA
Certifications
American Board of Surgery
Fellow, American College of Surgeons
Fellow, Society of Surgical Oncology
Practicing Since
1990
"Ultimately, my goal is to seek the best possible outcomes for every patient, and with the least possible risk. Using a multidisciplinary approach, I seek to provide every patient with compassionate, competent, honest and evidence-based care that never quits."
Dr. Robert A. Wascher
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Robert Wascher is board certified and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Surgical Oncology. In August 2011, he became a member of the integrated team of cancer experts at our hospital in suburban Phoenix, Arizona.
A surgical oncologist, Dr. Wascher treats a wide variety of cancers of the skin, breast, abdomen, gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, extremities, chest wall, and head and neck. He has a special
interest in breast cancer, melanoma, soft tissue sarcomas and tumors of the stomach.
Some of the advanced procedures Dr. Wascher performs are less invasive than traditional, open surgery.
“For tumors within the abdomen, including many cases of colorectal or liver cancer, and stomach tumors, laparoscopic surgery can significantly decrease postoperative discomfort and speed up recovery from
surgery,” he says.
Additionally, Dr. Wascher points to Covidien’s microwave ablation system, the SPY Intraoperative Imaging System and Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) as examples of innovative surgical tools and technology he is able to utilize at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA).
Intraoperative imaging and IORT can benefit patients fighting breast cancer, while microwave ablation can be used to destroy tumors in the liver and other organs.
Prior to completing medical school on a U.S. Army scholarship, Dr. Wascher earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences (with honors in research) from the University of California, Irvine. He
graduated magna cum laude with a medical degree from Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Nebraska.
Dr. Wascher completed a surgical internship at Letterman Army
Medical Center in San Francisco, followed by a fellowship in neurosurgery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Wascher went on to complete residency training in surgery at Tripler
Army Medical Center in Honolulu, and was then assigned to Darnall Army Hospital in Fort Hood, Texas.
While assigned to Fort Hood, Dr. Wascher served as Chairman of the Cancer Program at
Darnall Army Hospital, as well as the Chief of General Surgery. Subsequently, Dr. Wascher completed a research and clinical fellowship in surgical oncology at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa
Monica, California.
After completion of his fellowship, Dr. Wascher returned to Tripler Army Medical Center as the Chief of Surgical Oncology, and as Director of Research for Tripler’s General
Surgery Residency Program. While stationed in Honolulu, Dr. Wascher was also appointed as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Cancer Prevention & Control Program at the University of Hawaii’s
renowned Cancer Research Center. He also served on the state of Hawaii’s Life Sciences Council.
In 2006, Dr. Wascher retired from the Army at the rank of Colonel, and was appointed as the
Director of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey, and as Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New
Jersey. He went on to serve as Physician-in-Chief for Surgical Oncology for Kaiser Permanente in Orange County, California before joining CTCA. Dr. Wascher also remains a Clinical Associate Professor of
Surgery at the University of California, Irvine.
Dr. Wascher belongs to several national and international professional associations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American
Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, among others.
Dr. Wascher is the author of A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, an evidence-based cancer
prevention book for lay readers. He has also been published in leading clinical journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Surgical Oncology, The British Journal of Cancer, Cancer Treatment
and Research, Cancer, and Current Surgery.
Dr. Wascher is the founder and editor of Weekly Health Update, a global online health
information site. Additionally, he serves as a consultant in surgery, oncology and public health for numerous healthcare organizations, including LIVESTRONG, Sharecare (a collaboration of Jeff Arnold and Dr.
Oz, in partnership with Harpo Studios, HSW International, Sony Pictures Television and the Discovery Television Network), Know Cancer and eHealth Forum, among other organizations.
Dr.
Wascher is currently the Director of the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program at CTCA at Western Regional Medical Center, and a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of Arizona College of
Medicine-Phoenix.
Other Surgical Oncologists at Western
- David A. Litvak, MD
Chief of Staff & Surgical Oncologist - Edgar D. Staren, MD, PhD, MBA
President and CEO at CTCA at Western Regional Medical Center, Surgical Oncologist
