Cancer surgeons encourage screenings

Dr. David Sheldon and Dr. Sydney Lillard say that universal screenings such as colonoscopies would drastically change their patient numbers.

“About 85 percent could be prevented if we saw it (cancer) when it was a polyp,” Sheldon said.

Both fellowship-trained in surgical oncology, Sheldon and Lillard are the only such specialists in Montana. Practicing as Northwest Montana Surgical Associates-Surgical Oncology, the two surgeons see too many patients who weren’t screened for colon cancer at the recommended age of 50.

“I see a fair amount of more advanced stage,” Lillard said.

Sheldon said some Montanans just don’t have easy access to these screenings. He pointed out that people living along the Hi-Line don’t have any gastroenterologists in their area.

Lillard added that the stoic character of hard-working Montanans sometimes causes them to brush off symptoms. When these include changes in bowel habits, particularly bleeding, doing nothing is the worst course of action.

“A lot of people attribute the bleeding to hemorrhoids,” Lillard said. “If you are over 50 and having bleeding, you should have it checked.”

Sheldon said if you notice that you don’t feel right, you should have it checked out to eliminate the possibility of some type of cancer. Symptoms are all too often nonspecific, Lillard added.

When Sheldon arrived in August 2009, Kalispell Regional Medical Center began attracting cancer surgery patients from a wide area. No one had anticipated just how many patients were seeking surgery for more complex cancers in centers in Spokane, Salt Lake City, Seattle or the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

“Typically when you have a new surgeon come with a new skill set, you have a ramp-up phenomenon,” Sheldon said. “Within a month, I was booked out several months.”

Lillard described it as more of a launching pad than a ramping up. Within a year, she joined the practice to help shoulder the demand for the new cancer treatment-at-home option.

She said many patients with gynecological cancers who were seeking treatment out of state now are choosing surgery here.

“Even some with basic skin cancer were leaving,” Lillard said.

She and Sheldon have credentials that give patients confidence that surgical techniques here equal those in larger centers for cancers including esophageal, lung, colorectal, liver, pancreas, skin and melanoma, ovarian, lymph node and endocrine gland.

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Sheldon completed a general surgical residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. He was awarded a fellowship in surgical oncology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in New York.

His expertise in cancer surgery includes gastrointestinal cancers, melanoma skin cancers and endocrine tumors. Sheldon also has mastered advanced laparoscopic and minimally invasive techniques.

Ryan Solum, a native of Kalispell now living in Texas, recently benefited from Sheldon’s experience and skill when he had his colon removed. (See side story.)

Lillard earned her medical degree at the University of Texas Health Science Center and spent her residency in general surgery at the University of Washington. She also completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute and a gastric cancer fellowship at Seoul National University Hospital in Korea.

Since moving here, Lillard said she has been extremely impressed by the nurses. She said some have pursued or are pursuing additional certifications in oncology nursing.

“I find the nursing care here fantastic,” she said.

Both surgeons would like to see cancer eliminated but statistics don’t suggest that will happen any time soon. With screenings and sophisticated diagnostic techniques, patients have the opportunity to catch breast, cervical and colon varieties early.

 With the two surgical oncology-trained physicians, Kalispell Regional Medical Center has added a new choice for people dealing with the one of the most dreaded diseases.

  “We’re an option now for the patient to stay in Montana,” Sheldon said. “There’s a tremendous amount of stress and logistical problems  for people with a sick family member finding a place to stay and navigating in the city and big hospitals.”

Retired anesthesiologist Dr. Dudley Page was so impressed with his cancer surgery that he made a video testimonial to share his experience. He was one of the rare candidates for surgery to treat pancreatic cancer.

Sheldon said about 35,000 people a year receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer and only about 3,500 can benefit from surgery. He said a CAT scan determines if the tumor may safely be removed.

“We’ll handle 20 to 25 a year,” he said.

Page said an anesthesiologist friend suggested that he go to Virginia Mason for the surgery. But when he learned that Sheldon trained at that facility, he chose to have the surgery closer to Finley Point where he lives with his wife, Ann, a retired RN.

Sheldon described the procedure he needed in detail.

“He explained it was a very difficult piece of surgery that took some five to six hours, called the Whipple procedure,” Page said.

Called “the surgery of a thousand steps,” the procedure involves partial removal of organs and complex blood vessel rerouting. As an anesthesiologist, Page points out he was closely associated with the medical field, particularly surgery.

“I was dumbfounded by the quality of care at this hospital,” he said.

Ann said she was, as a nurse, prepared to strongly advocate for the care of her husband but found she didn’t have to because the staff gave him such good care. She said staying in the Flathead Valley was a great choice because friends were able to come and support her as well as her husband.

Page agreed, adding that they also saved a considerable amount of money by having all of his treatment here.

“I’m sure it was done just as well here as it would have been done in Seattle or any other major center in the United States.”