Sentara Surgeon Offers Cancer Care to Patients in Newport News
“I grew up in a family with no medical doctors, but my dad — an accountant — volunteered for the ambulance service,” says Basem Azab, M.D. “He always enjoyed helping people, and I admired his love and desire to make a difference. It gave me the motivation to pursue a medical career.”
Dr. Azab spent his high school years playing chess and competing nationally. He set aside that passion to attend medical school. There, he enjoyed the complexity and challenge of surgery. He realized medicine had much in common with chess – both presented puzzles that required creative problem-solving skills.
Using Surgery to Treat Cancer
Dr. Azab uses leading-edge technology and unsurpassed surgical skill to treat conditions such as:
- Complex gastrointestinal cancers such as esophageal cancer, gastric cancer and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST)
- Cancer of the peritoneum (peritoneal malignancy), which is the lining of the abdominal organs
- Liver, pancreas and gallbladder tumors
- Tumors of the cells that produce hormones (endocrine tumors) affecting the adrenal, thyroid and parathyroid glands
- Skin cancer (melanoma) and muscle, tendon or joint tissue cancers (soft tissue sarcomas)
To treat some of these conditions, he uses state-of-the-art surgical procedures including:
- Cytoreductive surgery, which aims to remove as much of the tumor as possible
- Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), which delivers heated chemotherapy to the abdominal cavity during surgery so provide targeted treatment of cancer cells
“I want patients to clearly understand their condition and the treatment options available,” says Dr. Azab. “I explain to them what I think would be the most effective treatment and answer every question they have so we can agree on a plan of care.”
Delivering Cancer Care With Compassion
“I believe in clear communication with patients. I don’t want a patient to leave my office feeling confused about something we discussed,” says Dr. Azab. “Many times, I’ll give my phone number to a patient, so they can easily reach me and get their questions answered.”
Dr. Azab hopes that by making it easy for patients to get in touch with him, he can minimize the fear and anxiety that often accompanies a cancer diagnosis.
“The role I play in a patient’s life is to make a physical impact,” says Dr. Azab. “But I also believe doctors can have an emotional impact. I want to help a patient be both healthy and happy, so they can carry that through their life and extend it to their family. As a physician, it is gratifying to know that I played a part in helping someone not only live but also enjoy life.”
Background
Dr. Azab came to the region with his wife and three children. He and his family enjoy going to museums and, of course, playing chess.
Dr. Azab is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery. He completed his surgical residency at Staten Island University Hospital in New York. He also completed a two-year surgical oncology fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. He spoke and lectured in several international and key national oncology meetings with over 40 peer review publications in core medical and surgical oncology journals.
He is accepting new patients at Sentara Surgery Specialists – Surgical Oncology, located at 11803 Jefferson Ave., Suite 235, Newport News, Va. Patients can make an appointment by calling 757-594-1806.