Happy 100th Birthday!
Hilda poses for picture with Dr. Eltabbakh one week following her surgery. Hilda had a 14 lb ovarian tumor successfully removed by Dr. Eltabbakh. On June 26th Hilda celebrates her 100th birthday 14 lbs lighter!

Our Patients Are Our Best Source of Referral
Wanda, Nancy, Geraldine and Cheryl are four sisters from the same family who all had hysterectomy performed by Dr. Eltabbakh. The four sisters had their picture taken with Dr. Eltabbakh before Nancy's hysterectomy on May 2,2008. Nancy is holding her grandchild! (click the picture for a larger view)








Endometrial Ablation for Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

Endometrial ablation affords an alternative to hysterectomy among women not interested in having further children. Endometrial Ablation is a less invasive procedure than hysterectomy and can be performed in the physician's office without general anesthesia and with a very short postoperative recovery.

Who will be Good Candidates for Endometrial Ablation?

Women who have completed their families, do not desire to have future pregnancies, have recurrent abnormal uterine bleeding unresponsive to medical treatment or who cannot receive medical treatment who do not have endometrial cancer and who desire less invasive surgery than hysterectomy.

Will my Insurance Pay for Endometrial Ablation?

Most insurance plans and Medicare pay for the procedure. Our office will obtain
insurance clearance prior to the procedure.

Please contact our office for more information on Endometrial Ablation, or attend our upcoming free lecture.

HPV VACCINE NOW AVAILABLE

Vaccine Protects Young Women From Most Strains of Cervical Cancer and Genital Warts

The FDA just approved the first ever vaccine for the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This vaccine is highly effective against four strains of the Human Papilloma Virus. Two of the strains that this vaccine guard against cause approximately 70% of all Cervical Cancers and the other two cause approximately 90% of genital warts cases.

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, with approximately 6.2 million new infections each year. It is estimated that by age 50, at least 80% of women will have acquired HPV infection. The virus typically goes away on its own, but if it does not it can lead to cervical cancer, precancerous lesions or genital warts. On average, there are 9,710 new cases and 3,700 deaths from cervical cancer in the United States each year. HPV is the leading cause of Cervical Cancer in women.

The vaccine GARDASIL, manufactured by Merck, is being recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for young women aged 9-26, and should routinely be given to girls when they are 11 or 12 years old. The vaccine should ideally be administered before the onset of sexual activity, however females who are sexually active between the ages of 9-26 should still be vaccinated.

GARDASIL is a series of injections given over the course of 6 months by your health care provider. The most common side effects to the vaccine are pain, swelling, itching and redness at the injection site as well as fever. Most local insurances will be covering the vaccine with prior authorization and it is anticipated that the rest will follow suit shortly.

Lake Champlain Gynecologic Oncology in South Burlington, Vermont currently has the vaccine available for women aged 9-26. Patients are required to come in for an educational consultation prior to receiving the first injection.

For more information on the Human Papilloma Virus and Cervical cancer or the HPV vaccine GARDASIL, please contact:

Lake Champlain Gynecologic Oncology
(802) 859-9500
www.lcgo.com











Photos from the
Gynecologic Cancer Survivor Dinner at LCGO
September 23rd 2006

Dr. Eltabbakh and staff member Sheila Clayton pose for a photo with patients and their families at the gynecologic cancer survivors dinner. There were about 85 people at the dinner.

Chemotherapy nurses Toni Duclos and Julia Larrow enjoy friendly conversation with survivors.

Survivors enjoy stimulating conversation with each other as well as a wonderful meal.

Beautiful and strong gets passed down from generation to generation.

The best part of the dinner was the relaxed atmosphere. Everyone felt comfortable and supported by Dr. Eltabbakh, staff, family, and newly found friends.