John A. Ridge, MD, PhD, FACS

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Fox Chase Cancer Center
333 Cottman Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19111

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Video: John Ridge, MD, PhD, FACS

John A Ridge, MD, PhD, FACS

Philadelphia Magazine
Top Doctors 2013
Surgery

Support the work of the Department of Surgical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center

Dr. Ridge's
Patient Stories

William Buehler - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Patient Stories
Beatriz Acosta Buitrago - Thyroid Cancer Patient Stories
Patricia Cantwell - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories, Osteosarcoma Patient Stories, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Patient Stories
Louis Della Penna - Kidney Cancer Patient Stories
Bob Devlin - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories, Prostate Cancer Patient Stories, Squamous Cell Cancer Patient Stories, Surgical Treatment for Prostate Cancer Patient Stories
Michael Kostic - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Patient Stories, Radiation Treatment for Prostate Cancer Patient Stories
Kevin Logan - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories, Squamous Cell Cancer Patient Stories
Charlie Osborne - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories
Lynn Schoepske - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories
Jerold Wilck, DDS - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories, Oral Cancer Patient Stories, Squamous Cell Cancer Patient Stories
Karen Williams - Head and Neck Cancer Patient Stories, Oral Cancer Patient Stories, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Patient Stories

60 Temple Physicians Named “Top Doctors” by Philadelphia Magazine
(Apr 30, 2013)

83 Temple Physicians Named Best Doctors in America®
(Feb 11, 2013)

Surgical Oncology

Chief, Head and Neck Surgery
Louis Della Penna Family Chair in Head and Neck Oncology

Meet other members of the
head and neck cancer treatment team.

Clinical Expertise:

Head and Neck Surgery; Endocrine Surgery (Thyroid and Parathyroid Tumors); Melanoma; Salivary Gland Cancers

Certifications:

American Board of Surgery

I came to the department of surgical oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center in 1991, moving from San Francisco to join one of the country's first multispecialty head and neck cancer teams. Since then, I have dedicated my career to curing as many patients with head and neck cancer as possible, while providing all of them with the best quality of life.

I recognized years ago that many patients with head and neck cancer could be cured and enjoy a high quality of life if they were treated with radiation and sometimes with chemotherapy, instead of with operations. As a result, I have worked closely with other cancer specialists to care for many patients without radical surgery. The Fox Chase Cancer Center team is well-known and highly regarded because we work together to offer each patient the treatments that will help them best.

Head and neck cancer is uncommon, and modern treatment of head and neck cancer can be complex. Our experienced and talented team employs skills developed through years of working together to cure patients with these rare tumors. We draw together common threads to craft a plan for each patient.

The head and neck surgeon must be willing to recommend care best suited to the patient and their cancer. Some patients will do better with an operation, but many will not. As radiation and chemotherapy treatments improve, major operations have become less necessary in the care of some patients with head and neck cancer. However, ongoing advances in surgery have also allowed us to spare some patients the long-term side effects of radiation therapy. Today the laser and the surgical robot allow us to control many tumors without need for high doses of radiation and chemotherapy. We have refined and developed techniques for the safe removal of many primary and recurrent tumors, and our team uses sophisticated reconstruction to cure cancers of the head and neck while allowing patients to pursue a high quality of life.

Every patient is unique, and we provide each one with a personal plan that is based upon their health, way of life, and their cancer.

As a researcher, I am honored to have played a role in the development and execution of important clinical trials that have led to improvements in quality of life for many patients with head and neck cancer.

Medical Education

Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif., 1981
(PhD in Biochemistry, 1978)

Residencies

General Surgery, University of Colorado, Denver, Colo.

Fellowships

Surgical Oncology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, N.Y.

Honors and Awards

Best Doctors in America^® 2013;
Philadelphia Magazine Top Doctors 2012

Professional Societies

American Head and Neck Society, President ;
American Radium Society,
Council Member;
American College of Surgeons, Fellow;
American Association of Endocrine Surgeons;
American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists;
The Society of Surgical Oncology, Fellow;
American Society of Clinical Oncology;

Research Interests

Nonsurgical Management of Head and Neck Cancer;
Organ Preservation;
New Techniques in Head and Neck Surgery;
Early and Advanced Thyroid Tumors;
Clinical Trial Design

<a href="http://www.fccc.edu/research/pid/ridge/research.html">Principal Investigator page</a>