Call 314-ANTHONY or 800-554-9550 for
Cancer Care Services
Physician Profile
Eddy C. Hsueh, M.D.
Eric J. Sutphen, M.D.
Gregory J. Bailey, M.D., Ph.D.
Michael Gu, M.D.
Peter Fonseca, M.D., Ph.D., FACS
R. William Morris, M.D., M.B.A.
William J. Moriconi, M.D.
Dr. Gu was a research associate and instructor at Washington University for nine years before pursuing training in internal medicine and oncology.
“At the time my mom was diagnosed, even though I was a physician, I didn’t know what to do. If you don’t know oncology very well, you don’t know how to manage cancer patients,” he said. “Treatments are changing every day. Every case is different. You try to dig deeper in each case, and you learn from it and try to find something new.”
Dr. Gu said many of his patients are unaware of the advances that have been realized in medical oncology.
“In the beginning, many of our patients are so scared, but once they have their first chemotherapy they see it is not so bad. All the chemotherapies are improving. Toxicity is going down and supportive care is more advanced. People can tolerate chemotherapies they could not tolerate before, so they will be able to receive stronger treatment,” he said.
“There are more treatment options than before, and the outcomes are better. Some cancers that we could not cure before are now easy to treat. Survival in breast cancer and lung cancer and other cancers is improving. We know why some of these cancers develop and how we can choose chemotherapy.”
Optimal outcomes depend not only upon selection of the most appropriate chemotherapies but also the utilization of other treatment modalities, Dr. Gu said. “Chemotherapy alone can cure very few patients. Most cancer patients are cured by other specialties such as radiation and surgery. That is why teamwork is very important for choosing the right procedures and supporting the patients.
“St. Anthony’s has all of the specialties to support oncology patients. They are continually advancing the technology. We have an enthusiasm to push and improve.”
Dr. Gu has been practicing on the St. Anthony’s Medical Center campus since 2005. “I chose to come to St. Anthony’s because this area has a growing population and needed oncologists. St. Anthony’s has very good facilities and enough specialties to support the patients.”
Oncologists must devote considerable time to study in order to remain aware of current best practices, Dr. Gu said. “We try to get to society meetings and academic lectures, and do a lot of reading. We try to join the clinical trials with the academic centers. Joining the clinical trials improves our knowledge – we know what is the current edge of research, what is available right now, what direction treatment is going. The clinical trials also provide opportunities to our patients.”
The importance of emotional support in cancer care was impressed upon Dr. Gu during his mother’s treatment for breast cancer.
“Oncology is more than writing chemotherapy. It is much more than that. It is how you give them emotional support and the best treatment. Chemotherapy will not necessarily cure every patient. When you choose chemotherapy, you have to balance the benefit with the harm that can be caused,” he said.
“At the end of life for my mom I experienced that. Sometimes you know you cannot cure the patients, so you choose the best treatment to make them feel better and live longer. Whatever the outcome, I want to think I did my best and helped them.”
For information, please call our Health Access Line at 314-ANTHONY (268-4669) or 800-554-9550 or visit our find a physician online.
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