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Elin R. Sigurdson, MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS (C)
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- Education and Training
- Patient Stories
- Research Profile
- Publications
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Clinical Locations
Primary Location
Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
About
Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology
Master Clinician
Director, Surgical Research
Specialties
Research Program
Key Awards
Surgery
Treatment Philosophy
I joined the surgical oncology department at Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1992 as director of surgical research.
My specialty is surgical treatment of patients with colorectal and breast cancer. At Fox Chase, we have been improving techniques by performing laparoscopy to remove colorectal cancer, which allows patients an earlier return home and less pain. Our colorectal cancer patients are managed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians. Our advanced surgical techniques minimize the need for permanent colostomies for patients with rectal cancer and offer nerve preservation. This results in improved quality of life after surgery for those with rectal cancer.
Fox Chase is dedicated to providing multispecialty management of patients with colorectal and breast cancer. I enjoy being part of this team because what we do in surgery benefits our patients for the rest of their lives.
I am an active member of the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. At Fox Chase, I also serve as the co-director of the fellowship program, which provides expert training to new surgical oncologists.
Follow on Twitter: @FCCCSurgOnc
Education and Training
Educational Background
- Fellow, Surgical Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Resident, General Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- MD, University of Toronto School of Medicine, Ontario, Canada, 1980
- PhD, Chemistry, University of London, England, 1976
Certifications
- American Board of Surgery
- Royal College of Surgeons (Canada)
Memberships
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
- Hepatobiliary Cancers Panel
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American College of Surgeons
- American Surgical Association
- Association for Academic Surgery
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
- Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
- Society of Surgical Oncology, Executive Council
Honors & Awards
- Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors, 2009-20
- Main Line Today Top Doctors, 2018-2019
- Best Doctors in America® , 2013-14, 2019-2020, Surgical Oncology
- America’s Top Doctors®, 2017
Patient Stories
'Cowboy' Jack Novek
Lymphoma; Prostate Cancer; Skin Cancer
'Cowboy' Jack Novek
Lymphoma; Prostate Cancer; Skin Cancer
I am 78 years old and have owned horses for 68 of those years. I am a cowboy through and through. My father gave me my first pony when I was just five years old and my first horse when I was 10. I have had hundreds of horses since. I also used to train the ponies down at the race track. 
Tiffany Mannino Dillon
Breast Cancer
Tiffany Mannino Dillon
Breast Cancer
I remember the day I was diagnosed so clearly. December 16, 2009.
Debbie Lech
Colorectal Cancer
Debbie Lech
Colorectal Cancer
I was 51 when I was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2012. My husband, Claus, and I had been married two years as of 2012, and were enjoying our life together with my two daughters and his two daughters and son.
Jeff Lambert
Melanoma
Jeff Lambert
Melanoma
I was 34 years old when I was diagnosed with melanoma. Today I am cancer free and enjoying life with my wife, Kathleen, and our daughter, Zoey.
Lynn Tucker
Neuroendocrine Tumors
Lynn Tucker
Neuroendocrine Tumors
When something feels wrong, speak up. For Lynn Tucker, that sentiment is more than empowering, it’s life changing.
Five years ago Lynn began to experience stomach pain so severe that at times it left her housebound and unable to move. For years, she went from doctor to doctor, received countless tests, and was repeatedly misdiagnosed.
“I was told I had a hernia, Crohn’s Disease, and several other conditions,” Lynn said. “Finally, I just accepted the pain as something I would have to live with. I didn’t think I would ever feel well.”
Pages
Research Profile
Publications
Selected Publications
Esposito AC, Crawford J, Sigurdson ER, Handorf EA, Hayes SB, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Omission of radiotherapy after breast conservation surgery in the postneoadjuvant setting. Journal of Surgical Research, 221:49-57, 2018. PMC5729922
Nardello SM, Kulkarni N, Aggon A, Boraas M, Sigurdson ER, Bleicher RJ. Invasive Mucinous Carcinoma Arising in Ectopic Axillary Breast Tissue. A Case Report and Review of the Literature, Am J Case Rep 2015: 16:153-159 DOI 10.12659/AJCR.892650
Silverman D, Ruth K, Sigurdson ER, Egleston BL, Goldstein LJ, Wong YN, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Skin Involvement and Breast Cancer: Are T4b Lesions of All Sizes Created Equal? J Am Coll Surg. 2014 Apr 20, pil:S1072-515(14)00340-8. doi: 10.1016/j_jamcollsurg.2014.04.003 PMID:25026875
Loveland-Jones CE, Ruth K, Sigurdson ER, Egleston BL, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Patterns of nodal staging during breast conservation surgery in the Medicare patient: Will the ACOSOG Z0011 trial change the pattern of care? Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 2014 Feb;143(3):571-7 PMID:24442687
Thomay AA, Nagorney DM, Cohen SJ, Sigurdson ER, Truty MJ, Burtness B, Hall MJ, Chun YS. Modern Chemotherapy Mitigates Adverse Prognostic Effect of Regional Nodal Metastases in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer. 2014 Jan;18(1):69-74Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery PMID:24002765
Nitkorski J, Willis A, Farma J, Zhu F, Nick D, Sigurdson E, Association of Race and Socioeconomic Status and Outcomes with Patients with Rectal Cancer, Ann Surg Oncol. -2013 Apr;20(4):1142-7, PMID:23334252
Landry JC, Feng Y, Cohen SJ, Staley CA 3rd, Whittington R, Sigurdson ER, Nimeriri, H, Verma U, Prabhu RS, Benson AB. Phase II Study of Preoperative Radiation with Concurrent Capecitabine, Oxaliplatin, and Bevacizumab Followed by Surgery and Postoperative 5-Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, Oxaliplatin (FOLFOX), and Bevacizumab in Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer; ECOG 3204. Cancer, 2013 Apr 15;119(8):1521-7 PMID:23288663
Bleicher, Richard J, Ruth, Karen J, Sigurdson, Elin R, Beck, J. Robert, Ross, Eric, Wong, Yu-Ning, Patel, Sameer A, Boraas, Marcia, Chang, Eric, Topham, Neal S. Egleston, Brian. Time to Surgery and Breast Cancer Survival in the United States: JAMA Oncology. In pres
Benson III A B, Chakravarthy A Bapsi, Hamilton S, Sigurdson ER; Cancers of the Colon and Rectum; A Multidisciplinary Approach to Diagnosis and Management, Chapter 9: Pages 161-163 (demosMedical 2013)
Sigurdson, Elin; Young Oncologist Essay Awards (Moderator), American Radium Society 95th Annual Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, April 29, 2013
Bleicher RJ, Sigurdson ER. Breast Cancer. Conclusions. Curr Probl Cancer. 2012 Sep-Oct;36(5):325. doi: 10.1016/j.currproblcancer.2012.06.007. Epub 2012 Aug 9. No abstract available. PMID:22884727
Clinical Locations
Primary Location
Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology
Master Clinician
Director, Surgical Research
Specialties
Research Program
Key Awards
Surgery
Treatment Philosophy
I joined the surgical oncology department at Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1992 as director of surgical research.
My specialty is surgical treatment of patients with colorectal and breast cancer. At Fox Chase, we have been improving techniques by performing laparoscopy to remove colorectal cancer, which allows patients an earlier return home and less pain. Our colorectal cancer patients are managed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians. Our advanced surgical techniques minimize the need for permanent colostomies for patients with rectal cancer and offer nerve preservation. This results in improved quality of life after surgery for those with rectal cancer.
Fox Chase is dedicated to providing multispecialty management of patients with colorectal and breast cancer. I enjoy being part of this team because what we do in surgery benefits our patients for the rest of their lives.
I am an active member of the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. At Fox Chase, I also serve as the co-director of the fellowship program, which provides expert training to new surgical oncologists.
Follow on Twitter: @FCCCSurgOnc
Education
Educational Background
- Fellow, Surgical Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Resident, General Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- MD, University of Toronto School of Medicine, Ontario, Canada, 1980
- PhD, Chemistry, University of London, England, 1976
Certifications
- American Board of Surgery
- Royal College of Surgeons (Canada)
Memberships
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
- Hepatobiliary Cancers Panel
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American College of Surgeons
- American Surgical Association
- Association for Academic Surgery
- Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
- Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
- Society of Surgical Oncology, Executive Council
Honors & Awards
- Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors, 2009-20
- Main Line Today Top Doctors, 2018-2019
- Best Doctors in America® , 2013-14, 2019-2020, Surgical Oncology
- America’s Top Doctors®, 2017
Research Profile
Research Interests
- Gastrointestinal cancers
- Breast cancer
Publications
Selected Publications
Esposito AC, Crawford J, Sigurdson ER, Handorf EA, Hayes SB, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Omission of radiotherapy after breast conservation surgery in the postneoadjuvant setting. Journal of Surgical Research, 221:49-57, 2018. PMC5729922
Nardello SM, Kulkarni N, Aggon A, Boraas M, Sigurdson ER, Bleicher RJ. Invasive Mucinous Carcinoma Arising in Ectopic Axillary Breast Tissue. A Case Report and Review of the Literature, Am J Case Rep 2015: 16:153-159 DOI 10.12659/AJCR.892650
Silverman D, Ruth K, Sigurdson ER, Egleston BL, Goldstein LJ, Wong YN, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Skin Involvement and Breast Cancer: Are T4b Lesions of All Sizes Created Equal? J Am Coll Surg. 2014 Apr 20, pil:S1072-515(14)00340-8. doi: 10.1016/j_jamcollsurg.2014.04.003 PMID:25026875
Loveland-Jones CE, Ruth K, Sigurdson ER, Egleston BL, Boraas M, Bleicher RJ. Patterns of nodal staging during breast conservation surgery in the Medicare patient: Will the ACOSOG Z0011 trial change the pattern of care? Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 2014 Feb;143(3):571-7 PMID:24442687
Thomay AA, Nagorney DM, Cohen SJ, Sigurdson ER, Truty MJ, Burtness B, Hall MJ, Chun YS. Modern Chemotherapy Mitigates Adverse Prognostic Effect of Regional Nodal Metastases in Stage IV Colorectal Cancer. 2014 Jan;18(1):69-74Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery PMID:24002765
Nitkorski J, Willis A, Farma J, Zhu F, Nick D, Sigurdson E, Association of Race and Socioeconomic Status and Outcomes with Patients with Rectal Cancer, Ann Surg Oncol. -2013 Apr;20(4):1142-7, PMID:23334252
Landry JC, Feng Y, Cohen SJ, Staley CA 3rd, Whittington R, Sigurdson ER, Nimeriri, H, Verma U, Prabhu RS, Benson AB. Phase II Study of Preoperative Radiation with Concurrent Capecitabine, Oxaliplatin, and Bevacizumab Followed by Surgery and Postoperative 5-Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, Oxaliplatin (FOLFOX), and Bevacizumab in Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer; ECOG 3204. Cancer, 2013 Apr 15;119(8):1521-7 PMID:23288663
Bleicher, Richard J, Ruth, Karen J, Sigurdson, Elin R, Beck, J. Robert, Ross, Eric, Wong, Yu-Ning, Patel, Sameer A, Boraas, Marcia, Chang, Eric, Topham, Neal S. Egleston, Brian. Time to Surgery and Breast Cancer Survival in the United States: JAMA Oncology. In pres
Benson III A B, Chakravarthy A Bapsi, Hamilton S, Sigurdson ER; Cancers of the Colon and Rectum; A Multidisciplinary Approach to Diagnosis and Management, Chapter 9: Pages 161-163 (demosMedical 2013)
Sigurdson, Elin; Young Oncologist Essay Awards (Moderator), American Radium Society 95th Annual Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, April 29, 2013
Bleicher RJ, Sigurdson ER. Breast Cancer. Conclusions. Curr Probl Cancer. 2012 Sep-Oct;36(5):325. doi: 10.1016/j.currproblcancer.2012.06.007. Epub 2012 Aug 9. No abstract available. PMID:22884727
Related Articles
23 PATIENT COMMENTS
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5.0
December 28, 2020
Excellent medical service.
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5.0
December 18, 2020
Dr Sigurdson and her team is exceptional. They are professional and efficient, while providing caring and unrushed service. I'm extremely thankful that I chose this team for my care.
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5.0
November 21, 2020
good
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5.0
October 16, 2020
Love my doctor and appreciate all you have done for me. God bless you all.
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5.0
August 05, 2020
I felt very confident with Dr. Elin Sigurdson & her team. They took the time to answer all my questions and it put me at ease with my decision.
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5.0
August 03, 2020
Dr. Sigurdson has excellent bed side matter - she listened, understood & answered all of my questions.
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5.0
August 01, 2020
I am very happy with my treatment at Fox Chase. my provider is wonderful and I would certainly recommend her to any of my friends.
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5.0
July 26, 2020
Excellent experience, as always, even the current Covid-19 world.
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5.0
June 29, 2020
My experience is always a friendly and a concern environment.
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5.0
June 25, 2020
Have seen Dr. Sigurdson for the past 24 years and she is the best. She is very caring.
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5.0
June 19, 2020
will be eternally grateful to Dr. Sigurdson for saving my life!
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4.5
May 27, 2020
I had a very good relationship with the Doctor.she and her team were very informative and caring.
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5.0
May 27, 2020
Love Dr. Sigurdson and her whole staff! [...]
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5.0
April 16, 2020
Excellent care.
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5.0
March 19, 2020
I wish Dr. Sigurdson and her team wellness and happiness! Thank you for all!
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5.0
March 03, 2020
Top notch the very best care !!!!!!!
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5.0
January 20, 2020
This was a good experience.
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5.0
January 13, 2020
I love Dr. Sigurdson!!!
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5.0
December 11, 2019
This was a very good experience. This was a past surgery follow-up (1 yr.)
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5.0
October 29, 2019
Always a good experience with this provider.
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