Dr. Brendan C. Visser

With pancreatic and hepatobiliary cancers among the most complex diseases in oncology, Brendan C. Visser, MD, leads Stanford Cancer Institute’s multidisciplinary Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) team to ensure that no detail escapes collective scrutiny. Surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, transplant hepatologists, interventional radiologists, nutritionists, pain specialists, and nurse navigators gather for a pre-clinic conference where dynamic CT or MRI, endoscopic ultrasound findings, germline and somatic sequencing, cardiopulmonary metrics, and the patient’s personal goals are reviewed side by side. Operating-room blocks, chemotherapy infusions, biliary stenting, physical-therapy evaluations, and financial-advocacy sessions are scheduled during the same call so treatment begins without administrative delays. In the first face-to-face visit Dr. Visser breaks down imaging and molecular data in plain language, hands families a printed roadmap from diagnosis through survivorship, and uploads the same plan to the portal so every discipline works from a shared script. Follow-up telemedicine appointments timed to imaging or laboratory milestones keep those who live far from Palo Alto engaged without repeated travel. This tightly aligned pathway reduces redundant tests, accelerates therapeutic decisions, and offers patients the steadiness of a unified team from day one.

 

Bench discovery informs nearly every recommendation that follows. Dr. Visser’s laboratory focuses on pancreatic-neuroendocrine-tumor biology, biomarker discovery for early pancreatic-adenocarcinoma detection, and predictive radiomics that quantify vascular abutment in borderline-resectable disease. Tissue and plasma collected during surgery feed a biobank that links driver-gene alterations, circulating-tumor-DNA kinetics, and quantitative perfusion imaging, allowing hypotheses to be tested in real time. A flagship effort pairs serum exosome signatures with machine-learning algorithms to flag occult malignancy months before cross-sectional imaging becomes positive, work that has already produced a CLIA-validated assay now undergoing prospective validation in high-risk cohorts. Parallel phase-II trials combine cytoreductive surgery with intraperitoneal immunocytokines or fluorophore-guided resection, and correlative studies map immune-cell infiltration patterns that may predict durable disease control. By embedding translational science in routine care, Dr. Visser tailors therapy to evolving tumor biology and spares patients from ineffective exposure while preserving organ function and quality of life.

 

Mentorship, education, and outreach amplify his impact far beyond the operating suite. As Section Chief of HPB Surgery and Program Director for Stanford’s HPB fellowship, he uses weekly case-based rounds to teach residents how to balance meticulous evidence appraisal with compassionate dialogue; multiple teaching awards from trainees attest to his effectiveness. Community seminars on pancreatic-cancer nutrition, postoperative pain management, and survivorship planning are livestreamed and captioned, with recordings translated into Spanish, Mandarin, and Tagalog for on-demand access. A tele-consult network he helped establish lets regional surgeons upload imaging and operative videos for same-day feedback, cutting travel for older adults and those with limited mobility. Inside Stanford Health Care, Dr. Visser championed a patient-reported-outcome dashboard that alerts nurses to rising fatigue, glycemic swings, or surgical-site concerns between visits, prompting timely outreach that keeps recovery on track. These initiatives turn specialist knowledge into practical tools, empowering families to participate confidently in choices that shape their journey.