Expert Care for Esophageal Cancer

From BestHealth, September 2007

A farmer for 21 years, Billy Sprinkle is used to dealing with uncertainty.

But nothing prepared him for a diagnosis of esophageal cancer found after a routine check-up in 2006. “I was anemic,” said Sprinkle of Hiddenite, N.C. “Further testing found a tumor the size of a walnut on my lower esophagus. That’s when I was referred to Dr. Edward Levine at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest Baptist.”

Levine, chief of the surgical oncology program, and the multidisciplinary oncology team together evaluated Sprinkle’s case. In May 2006 Levine removed most of his esophagus and connected the top of the stomach to the remaining esophagus. 

Because some lymph nodes were involved, Sprinkle also underwent chemotherapy and radiation.

CT scans now show that he is cancer-free.

Sprinkle participated in the Relay for Life this year and was moved by how many people were honoring loved ones claimed by cancer. “I am blessed to be here to spend time with my wife and daughter. I am extremely grateful that I was treated at Wake Forest Baptist.”

Surgical Oncology

• Surgical Oncologists care for patients with melanoma, sarcoma, malignancies of the breast, endocrine system and soft tissues, as well as gastrointestinal malignancies.

• The Wake Forest Baptist Surgical Oncology team is the region’s most experienced, performing more than 1,000 operations each year and treating complicated cases not often seen in community hospitals. Surgical Oncology physicians train in general surgery then complete fellowship training in surgical management of cancer.