Patients with melanoma and other serious skin cancers requiring surgery will soon have access to treatment in Kalamazoo.
WMed Health surgical oncologist Dr. Laurence McCahill is offering a new, comprehensive melanoma and skin cancer clinic at West Michigan Cancer Center Radiation & Surgical Specialties (WMCC).
Dr. McCahill specializes in melanoma and other advanced skin cancers including locally advanced squamous cell and basal cell cancers, merkel cell melanoma and other skin cancers that require a more extensive surgical approach than typically offered at a dermatology office.
鈥淲e are incredibly grateful to have a new expert in our community who can offer this level of care,鈥 said Bridget VandenBussche, CPHRM, WMCC executive director. 鈥淲e are very excited for the opportunity to better serve our community.鈥澛
Dr. McCahill has more than 25 years of experience as a surgical oncologist and has treated more than 800 melanoma patients. In 2017, more than 836,000 men and more than 852,000 women were diagnosed with new melanoma cases, according to the American Cancer Society. Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer for males and the sixth most common cancer for females in the United States.
鈥淭here have been tremendous changes in melanoma treatment in the last five to seven years due to clinical studies that have shown positive effects of new therapies, particularly immunotherapy and very targeted therapies that are highly specific to melanoma,鈥 Dr. McCahill said. 鈥淭his has really impacted the treatment of patients, allowing a team-based approach involving multiple specialists such as surgeons and medical oncologists.鈥
Dr. McCahill joined WMed in March 2021 as a professor in the Department of Surgery. Prior to joining the medical school, Dr. McCahill served as medical director of both the Breast Cancer program and the Skin Cancer Center at Metro Health-University of Michigan Health Hospital.聽
Dr. McCahill earned his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine in 1990. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Dr. McCahill also has medical experience in the military, having served four years in the United States Navy from 1996 to 2000. He also completed a two-year fellowship in surgical oncology at City of Hope National Medical Center.