Michael J. Passeri, MD

What are some of the specific conditions you treat?

My primary area of practice is surgical oncology: the surgical treatment of cancer. Within that area I focus on cancers of the upper GI tract, liver, pancreas, and biliary system. I also treat skin and soft tissue cancers, including sarcomas, melanoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Beyond surgical oncology, I am a board certified general surgeon and continue to treat benign surgical problems. Some of these include gallstone disease, bile duct injuries, pancreatitis, ulcer disease, bowel obstruction, hernias, and appendicitis. .

What techniques or procedures do you use in your practice?

I use a number of techniques to approach abdominal operations. While I am familiar with the traditional, open approach, I also feel strongly about minimizing the impact that my operations have on the comfort, activity, and recovery time of my patients. This means minimizing the size and number of incisions for every operation. To accomplish this, I use laparoscopic and robotic techniques whenever possible. The state of the art robotic platforms at Valley Hospital offer me the opportunity complete complex procedures through incisions that are less than half an inch in length.

In addition, I have a great deal of experience with microwave ablation, a technique that allows for the thermal destruction of liver tumors, without cutting into the liver itself. This offers a potential cancer cure for patients that, in the past, would have required large operations.

Describe some of your professional highlights.

For the past two years I have worked with the liver and pancreas team at Carolinas Medical Center, one of the busiest and most technologically forward practices of its kind in the United States. It was during this time that I achieved proficiency with robotic surgery, thermal ablation, and NanoKnife systems. I am proud to bring the cutting edge techniques I learned at CMC to my patients here in New Jersey. Alongside the unparalleled team and facilities at Valley Hospital, we plan to offer cancer care on a level that is second to none.

What would you like patients to know about your approach to care?

I believe the most important role of any physician is that of an educator. It is easy for any doctor to understand a disease that they have studied for years. It is much harder to share that same level of understanding with a patient. The details of modern cancer care are incredibly complex, and the information available to patients online is contradictory and often misleading. The situation is made even more challenging when considering the full range of emotion that accompanies a difficult diagnosis.

In addition to being a surgeon, I consider myself a teacher. I feel it is a critical element of my job to help my patients understand their situation and their options. The most important member of any care team is the patient, and I never offer anyone an operation until I am fully convinced that they are right there on the team with me. Once that happens we can work together toward meeting as many treatment goals as we can.