Clinical Specialties
Surgical Oncology
Intraoperative Radiation Therapy
Esophageal, Pancreatic, Rectal and Breast Cancers

Board Certifications
American Board of Surgery, 1976, Re-certified, 1990, 1999

Research
A clinical protocol assessing the role of a large, single dose of radiation delivered at the time of surgery has been researched in conjunction with the Department of Radiation Oncology. Using Siemens 300 KV orothovoltage machine installed in one of the operating rooms, we administer a boost of radiation at the time of the local excision of the tumor. At present, 89 patients have been treated using this method. Most of them have had colorectal cancer and sarcomas, as well as pancreatic cancer. Initial results show no increase in survival when the group was compared with matched patients taken from the state registry in Phoenix. A striking lack of local complications, by keeping the total external beam of the radiation dose low, is perhaps the main advantage of this treatment.

In addition, a non-concurrent cohort study to compare treatment outcomes, survival and total patient charges in 132 esophageal cancer patients treated from 1988 through 1999 looked at surgical, non-surgical and combined management. Combination therapy offers increased survival time, compared with surgery alone, at no appreciable increase in charges, but with significant increases in delayed complications. Chemoradiation therapy, without surgery, offers a substantial decrease in immediate complications and total hospital charges. However, this group has a lower survival time, likely due to a later stage at diagnosis. Surgical resection provided excellent palliation of dysphagia, regardless of additional therapy. Overall survival continues to be poor. All available therapies have risks of complications, considerable patient side effects and substantial expense.

Selected Publications

• Villar HV, Coronella JA, Spier C, Welch M, Trevor KT,
  PUBLICATIONS Stopeck AT, Hersh E; AZCC, Tucson, AZ; Antigen-Driven Oligoclonal Expansion of Tumor-Infiltrating B Cells in Infiltrating
  Ductal Carcinoma of the Breast; Journal of Immunology; May
  2002.
• Villar HV, Trout C, Anderson J, Lobell M, Warneke J, Krouse, R,
  Harrigill K, Stevens K.; Esophageal Cancer: A Comparison of
  Management, Treatment Outcomes and Patient Charges;
  American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting,
  2001.
• Villar HV, Warneke J, Berger R, Stea D; Lumpectomy & Radiation Treatment for Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast; American Journal of Surgery 172 (5) 496; 1996.
• Villar HV. Treatment of Multiple Synchronous Carcinomas of the
  Same Breast; Strategies and Tactics. Collected Letters in Correspondence Society of Surgeons; Vol. 18 (4), 1995.
• Villar HV. Cancer in Hispanics: Relationship Between Ethnicity,
  Poverty and the Diagnosis and Treatment of Some Cancers; National Cancer Data Base Annual Review of Patient Care; 74 – 91; 1993.
• Villar HV, Wong R, Paz B, Bull D, Neumayer L, Grogan T, Spier C; Immunophenotyping in the Management of Gastric Lymphoma; American Journal of Surgery 161; 171 – 176; 1991.
• Villar HV, Neal D, Levinson M, Fuller J, Emery R, Graham A, Iconogle T, Copeland J; GI Complications after Human and Mechanical Heart Transplantation; Presented at the Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Annual Meeting, New Orleans; 1998; The American Journal of Surgery 157; 168 – 174; 1989.