The Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers Gynecologic Oncology Program provides expert, compassionate care. Our doctors will work with you to create a treatment plan that takes your individual needs into account. We also offer many resources, from nutritional help to complementary therapies, to support you throughout treatment and beyond.
About the Center
Whether you have been diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer or are at high risk of developing one, the specialists in the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers Gynecologic Oncology Program can provide expert, compassionate care.
Because gynecologic cancers can have a wide range of physical and emotional effects, we've assembled a team of experts from many disciplines to help you and your family cope with cancer and its treatment.
Our treatment team is skilled in helping you through every aspect of the cancer journey, from initial diagnosis through treatment and follow-up care. Our clinicians focus exclusively on gynecologic cancers, and will work closely with you to create a treatment plan that takes your individual needs into account.
Our expertise covers all types and stages of gynecologic cancers, including ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, and trophoblastic disease.
As one of the world's leading centers for cancer treatment and research, we're able to offer diagnostic tests and therapies based on the most up-to-date scientific findings, including the latest clinical trials.
The gynecologic cancers we treat include:
The Gynecologic Oncology Program is part of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers. The Susan Smith Center conducts research into the causes of women's cancers and the development and testing of new therapies. Established as an integrated care model, it exists to provide the best possible care and support to women with cancer and their families.
Our Treatment Approach
Our doctors and other caregivers will work closely with you and your family to develop a treatment plan suited to your situation.
When you first come to the center for an appointment, you will meet with specialists who will gather all the information necessary to define the nature of your disease and determine the best course of treatment.
As well as providing specialized medical care, we offer a range of supportive services, including nutritional counseling, emotional and spiritual support, financial advice, and complementary therapies such as acupuncture and massage.
Your treatment team may include members from four specialty areas:
Gynecologic (surgical) oncology
Our surgeons perform more than 1,000 procedures each year, many involving advanced techniques that require specialized training. Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center was the first center in New England to treat endometrial cancer using robotic-assisted surgery.
The work of our surgical oncologists is supported by the Familial Ovarian Cancer Center, which counsels women with a family history of gynecologic cancer; the New England Trophoblastic Disease Center, which treats patients who develop abnormal growths in the uterus; and the Pap Smear Evaluation Center, which specializes in diagnosing and treating cervical cancer.
To learn more about many of the surgical procedures performed here, please visit the links below.
Post-operative instructions following gynecologic oncology surgery
Cervical cone biopsy
Dilation and curettage
Hysterectomy recovery
Laparoscopy
Laser therapy
Supra pubic tubes
Vulvar cancer surgery
Medical oncology
Your medical oncologist is a key member of your treatment team: a gynecologic cancer specialist who will work with other physicians, nurses, technicians, and counselors to ensure all aspects of your treatment are covered.
Your medical oncologist will discuss with you standards of care treatment and the possibility of clinical trials, as well as describe the latest in the scientific understanding of the biology of your cancer. You should feel free to ask your medical oncologist any questions you may have about your treatment plan.
Palliative care specialists
We work closely with staff from the adult palliative care program to help patients manage pain and the side effects of cancer treatment.
Radiation therapy
As part of your treatment, you may receive radiation therapy, which involves precisely controlled beams of high-energy radiation that destroy cancer cells. This is often part of the treatment plan for endometrial (uterine) cancer, cervical cancer, vulvar cancer, and vaginal cancer.
To learn more about many of the radiation therapy procedures performed here, please visit the links below.
Brachytherapy
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
Interstitial brachytherapy
Tandem and ovoid brachytherapy
Vaginal cylinder brachytherapy
Treatment Team
Your entire care team has extensive experience in caring for patients with gynecologic cancers. Our specialists work closely together and collaborate regularly to ensure that your care plan offers the best possible outcomes and that all your needs are met.
Department of OB/GYN & Reproductive Biology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Ross S. Berkowitz, MD
Sarah Feldman, MD, MPH
Colleen M. Feltmate, MD
Donald P. Goldstein, MD
Neil S. Horowitz, MD
Michael G. Muto, MD
Department of Medicine
Ursula A. Matulonis, MD
Susana M. Campos, MD, MPH
Suzanne Berlin, DO
Joyce Liu, MD, MPH
Andrea Myers, MD, PhD
Alexi Wright, MD, MPH
Department of Radiation Oncology
Larissa Lee, MD
Akila Viswanathan, MD, MPH
Department of Pathology, Division of Women's and Perinatal Pathology
Christopher P. Crum, MD, Division Director
Bradley J. Quade, MD
William R. Welch, MD
George L. Mutter, MD
Frederick R. Bieber, MD
Marisa R. Nucci, MD
Michelle S. Hirsch, MD
Edmund Cibas, MD (Cytology)
Nursing Staff
Lisa Arvine, NP
Cornelia Bannigan, RN
Debra Cotto, RN
Kathleen Connor, RN
Catherine Earley, NP
Claudia Howe, RN
Carol Prone, RN
Joan Sullivan, RN
Ann Stewart, NP
Ann-Marie Wilson, NP
Physician Assistant
Cheryl Arena, PA-C, MPH
CWN 7
Brigham and Women's Hospital
617-732-7329
Kia Prescott, PA
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
617-632-3669
Case Manager
CWN-7
Brigham and Women's Hospital
617-732-6462
Social Workers
Rachel Allende, LICSW (Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking patients)
Roberta (Bobbi) Allison, LICSW (Inpatient)
Irene Goss-Werner, LICSW
Annette Quinn, LCSW
Clinical Research
One of the advantages of being a major research institution is that the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center is able to provide patients not only with outstanding care but also with some of the most advanced therapies available.
We base our treatments on the latest scientific findings, and many patients have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials of the potential therapies of the future.
See current open trials for patients with advanced or recurrent cervical cancer.
See current open trials for patients with endometrial and uterine cancer.
See current open trials for patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent ovarian, peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer.
Researchers in the Gynecologic Oncology Program are exploring gynecologic cancers from a wide variety of scientific angles – from discoveries about the genes that cause tumors to develop and grow, to investigations of new therapies, to studies of ways to prevent cancers from forming.
Their work is leading to a better understanding of how gynecologic cancers arise and perpetuate themselves, and new approaches to treating and controlling them.
See selected published reports and abstracts
Contact Information
New patients
If you have never been seen before at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, please call our new patient coordinators, Martina Surette or Kristine Vasios, at 877-332-4294.
Follow-up appointments
Surgical
To make or change follow-up appointments, call 617-632-3669. If you have staples, you will also need to be seen by your surgeon's nurse approximately 10-14 days after your surgery for staple removal.
For questions about symptoms
During the day, call your doctor's nurse:
For Drs. Berkowitz, Goldstein, or Feltmate, call Joan Sullivan, RN, at 617-632-5523
For Drs. Muto, Feldman, or Horowitz, call Kathy Connor, RN, at 617-632-3260
At night or on weekends, call 617-732-6660 and ask for the gynecologic oncology fellow on call.
Medical oncology
If you were seen by a medical oncologist, you will need to follow up with them as per their recommendation.
If your doctor is Dr. Ursula Matulonis, please call 617-632-2334.
If your doctor is Dr. Suzanne Berlin, please call 617-632-3857.
If your doctor is Dr. Susana Campos, please call 617-632-5269.
If your doctor is Dr. Joyce Liu, please call 617-632-5269.
If your doctor is Dr. Andrea Myers, please call 617-632-3857.
If your doctor is Dr. Alexi Wright, please call 617-632-3857.
Other contact information
Administrative staff
Maureen Fagan, RNP, MS
Director for OB-Gyn Programs,
Brigham and Women's Hospital
617-732-4420
Bernadette Quigley-Lavoie, RN
Nurse Manager, CWN 7
Brigham and Women's Hospital
617-732-7639
Diana Perkins
Practice Manager for Ambulatory OB/GYN
Brigham and Women's Hospital
617-732-5184
Kalimah Nadeem
Administrative Assistant
Division of Gynecologic Oncology, BWH
617-732-8843
Madeline Pinto
Surgical Scheduler
Division of Gynecologic Oncology, BWH
617-278-0459
Research staff
Julie Lee, RN, Research Nurse
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
617-632-4975
Christin Whalen, RN, Research Nurse
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
617-582-7738
Tina Atkinson, Project Manager
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
617-632-2621