A drive to get the best care

When a mass was found during his routine colonoscopy in August 2024, Scott Gertz called a relative, a physician living in Florida, for guidance.

“I wanted to remain in Southern California for surgery and follow-ups,” Gertz, now 54, recalls. He asked his relative to recommend the most reputable, reliable and well-trained surgeon.

“There was no hesitation: He recommended and connected me to Dr. Skandan Shanmugan.”

Shanmugan, co-director of the UCI Health Chao Digestive Health Institute and chief of Colon & Rectal Surgery, is a colorectal surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive and robot-assisted surgical techniques.

The institute’s surgical oncologists, who are also part of the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, have extensive experience in the surgical management of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. They are highly skilled in minimally invasive laparoscopic and ablative procedures, as well as robot-assisted surgical techniques, all of which are used whenever possible to reduce trauma to the patient and shorten recovery time.

‘Greeted with concern’

Gertz quickly made an appointment, then made the roughly 50-mile trip from his Encino home in the San Fernando Valley to Orange.

“I was greeted with concern, consideration and understanding immediately,” the commercial real estate broker remembers of stepping foot in the state-of-the-art digestive health institute at UCI Medical Center in Orange, the flagship medical campus of UCI Health, which is powered by UC Irvine.

“Dr. Shanmugan, his nurse navigator Morgan [Cottrill] and their entire staff were the most diligent and empathetic to speak with.”

After Gertz’s tests and scans were complete ― conveniently done under one roof at the institute ― Shanmugan removed a stage II mass from Gertz’s colon, along with his appendix and part of his small intestine, during a robot-assisted surgery in October, less than two weeks after his colonoscopy. His lymph nodes were all negative. This allowed him to make a faster recovery and return home sooner.

Looking ahead

Scott Gertz playing the drums in his "dad band."

Four months later, he remains cancer-free and in good health with an excellent prognosis

“I have lost weight and feel grateful to be moving in the direction of a healthier lifestyle,” Gertz says.

Medical oncologist Dr. Farshid Dayyani continues to monitor him with regular blood tests and scans.

“During this stressful and frightening time in my life, I could not have asked for better experts,” says the avid "dad band" drummer, who gladly makes the long trek to Orange County for his care. “I had the best surgeon to operate on me and oversee my recovery.”