John A Ridge, MD, PhD, FACS

Philadelphia Magazine
Top Doctors 2010
Surgery

I came to the department of surgical oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1991, moving from San Francisco to join one of the country's first multispecialty head and neck cancer teams. Since then, I have dedicated my career to curing as many patients with head and neck cancer as possible, while providing all of them with the best quality of life.

I recognized years ago that many patients with head and neck cancer could be cured and enjoy a high quality of life if they were treated with radiation and sometimes with chemotherapy, instead of with operations. As a result, I have worked closely with other cancer specialists to care for many patients without radical surgery. The Fox Chase Cancer Center team is well-known and highly regarded because we work together to offer each patient the treatments that will help them best.

Head and neck cancer is uncommon, and modern treatment of head and neck cancer can be complex. Our experienced and talented team employs skills developed through years of working together to cure patients with these rare tumors. We draw together common threads to craft a plan for each patient.

The head and neck surgeon must be willing to recommend care best suited to the patient and their cancer. Some patients will do better with an operation, but many will not. As radiation and chemotherapy treatments improve, major operations have become less necessary in the care of some patients with head and neck cancer. However, ongoing advances in surgery have also allowed us to spare some patients the long-term side effects of radiation therapy. Today the laser and the surgical robot allow us to control many tumors without need for high doses of radiation and chemotherapy. We have refined and developed techniques for the safe removal of many primary and recurrent tumors, and our team uses sophisticated reconstruction to cure cancers of the head and neck while allowing patients to pursue a high quality of life.

Every patient is unique, and we provide each one with a personal plan that is based upon their health, way of life, and their cancer.  

As a researcher, I am honored to have played a role in the development and execution of important clinical trials that have led to improvements in quality of life for many patients with head and neck cancer.

Video

Introductory Video of Dr. Ridge

Surgical Oncology
Chief, Head and Neck Surgery

Meet other members of the
head and neck cancer treatment team.

New patients can request an appointment online or call 215-728-2570.

Appointments for Returning Patients

For general information, call:
1-888-FOX CHASE (1-888-369-2427).
An oncology certified nurse will assist you.

Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111-2497

Clinical Expertise:

Head and Neck Surgery; Endocrine Surgery (Thyroid and Parathyroid Tumors); Melanoma; Salivary Gland Cancers

Medical Education:

Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif., 1981
(PhD in Biochemistry, 1978)

Residency:

General Surgery, University of Colorado, Denver, Colo.

Fellowship:

Surgical Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, N.Y.

Certification:

American Board of Surgery

Professional Societies:

American Head and Neck Society, President ;
American Radium Society,
Council Member;
American College of Surgeons, Fellow;
American Association of Endocrine Surgeons;
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists;
The Society of Surgical Oncology, Fellow;
American Society of Clinical Oncology;

Research Interests:

Nonsurgical Management of Head and Neck Cancer;
Organ Preservation;
New Techniques in Head and Neck Surgery;
Early and Advanced Thyroid Tumors;
Clinical Trial Design

Principal Investigator page