Dr. Thomas J. Polascik

As an orthopaedic oncologist, I am passionate about providing the best diagnostic and therapeutic surgical care for patients with benign or malignant bone or soft tissue tumors of the musculoskeletal system. As the director of the Sarcoma program at the Duke Cancer Institute, my passion is building our team to provide the best clinical care and basic scientific, translational and clinical research to serve our patients. Dr. Brigman is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma. His top areas of expertise are Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Bone Tumor, Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma, Bone Graft, and Hip Replacement.

As an orthopedic oncologist, I treat cancers of the bone and muscle. My background is very different from most doctors. I started as a veterinarian and became interested in cancer because so many dogs have cancer, and I came to medical school to learn how to treat and beat some of these types of cancer. I’m still a veterinarian, and that’s a big part of what we do here. Many cancers of the bone and muscles, called sarcomas, are rare in people, but common in dogs. So continuing to treat dogs with this type of cancer lets us and our group gain a deeper understanding of how these cancers work. With my patients, I try to find out what the cancer has taken from them, and what their goals are for how to get back in control. For some, their goal is to beat the cancer no matter what. For others, the goal is to keep walking or to be able to walk again, or to be in less pain. Then we try to tailor our approach to the patient. Often, people think being a surgical oncologist must be a terrible job. But I find something in each patient to admire, because patients dealing with cancer develop a strength the rest of us don’t get to have. Dr. Eward is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma. His top areas of expertise are Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Desmoid Tumor, Bone Tumor, Hip Replacement, and Knee Replacement.

I am an orthopaedic oncologist and specialize in tumors that affect bone and soft tissue in the musculoskeletal system. I was introduced to this specialty by my mentor in medical school, who taught me how truly complex the biology of bone is and how it contributes to human disease. I enjoy finding surgical solutions to treat tumors, and I always try to understand what the tumor does to the body, how the body reacts to the tumor, and how the tumor evolves in response to its environment. This is the driving force behind much of my research. My patients motivate me to find innovative solutions to treat their disease. Every person is different, and it is my job to understand who you are and what your goals are in order to work with you to come up with the best possible treatment plan. Dr. Visgauss is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma. Her top areas of expertise are Adult Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Bone Tumor, Liposarcoma, Bone Graft, and Hip Replacement.