Locations
Office
Morristown , NJ
About
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Surgical Oncology
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
151 Answers
12 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
In theory: In theory too much sun can cause melanoma of the retina. However, there is no hard data to prove or disprove this.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
No: There is no known way to reliably shrink thyroid nodules.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
No: There is no known way to reliably shrink thyroid nodules.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Not in the usual way: Although melanoma cannot be transmitted from person to person like an infection, it is possible for it to be transmitted vis organ transplants; patien... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Early appropriate Rx: The best way to prevent a melanoma from recurring is to have it treated as early as possible by an experienced physician who performs the correct defi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
In certain cases: Many thyroid nodules need to be surgically removed, while others will never require surgery. Each case is individualized and there are many gray areas... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Not necessarily: But calcium in thyroid nodules can be associated with cancer and its presence may increase the concern of your physicians and make biopsy and/or surge... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
No, but: That's a very complicated question. The short answer is no, but the nuances of which thyroid nodule to biopsy and when are complex and beyond the cont... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Not necessarily: Cold thyroid nodules can be cancerous but are usually benign. The next step is usually a biopsy, which is much mor helpful than a thyroid scan to dist... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Yes in many cases: Many sarcoma cases can be effectively cured by prompt aggressive appropriate surgical resection sometimes followed by radiation to the local area. It ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
MRI scan best: The best imaging studies for soft tissue sarcomas are MRI scans. Sarcomas have a very distinctive appearance on MRI scans, usually almost diagnostic.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
No: Melanoma masses in the brain are most often treated with radiation therapy although may require surgery in some cases. In addition, some newly approve... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Mass in pancreas: Most common reason is mass or tumor in the "head" of the pancreas blocking the bile duct.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
None: There really aren't any medicines that can shrink or eliminate thyroid nodules.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Lymph node status: Survival after the whipple procedure basically comes down to:
1. No postoperative complications
2. Complete removal of the cancer
3. Ability to mai... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 28-year-old male asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Depends on situation: It is very exciting that three (yervoy, zelboraf, and sylatron), and possibly a few other, new drugs have been approved for advanced melanoma treatmen... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Usually not: Thryoid cancer, in and of itself, usually is not related to changes in the TSH level.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Depends on Stage: Survival from melanoma (or really any cancer) depends on the stage of the cancer, which in the case of melanoma is derived from the initial tumor thic... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Benign vs malignant: A tendon sheath tumor could be a malignant sarcoma or a benign tumor (by definition not a sarcoma).
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Yes: Of course all cases are different but many people with either melanoma or lymphoma appear to be cured by their treatment, .
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Fairly uncommon: Sarcomas are cancers of connective tissue, like fat, muscle, ligaments, and bones. The more common type of cancers are carcinomas, which involve organ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Fatigue and others: There are many symptoms of hyperparathyroidism, the most common cause of parathyroid tumors. The most common symptom is fatigue, but others include ir... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Skin cancer: Merkel cell cancer is a malignancy that comes from cells in the skin related to neural components. It is usually on the head and neck but can occur an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Yes: All melanomas are considered malignant however they have different levels of metastatic potential. This means that some melanomas have the ability to ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
No: Radioactive iodine test is of little or no value in the evaluation for thyroid cancer. Ultrasound and biopsy are much more important.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Lots of big words: Pancreaticoduodenectomy with reconstruction. Options for reconstruction include pancreaticogastostomy, pancreaticojejunosotomy, roux-en-y gastojejunos... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Depends: Most adrenal nodules this size are not dangerous and do not need to be removed. However, you should be tested to make sure the nodule is not hormonall... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Usually not: Most follicular adenomas never require additional treatment. But some continue to grow and require surgical removal. Follicular thyroid carcinoma can ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Varies: Most thyroid nodules have no associated symptoms. However, some nodules can cause symptoms like pain, pressure, coughing, swallowing problems, voice c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Retinal cancer: Melanoma can occur in the retina of the eye, technically in the uvea. The treatment is either surgery or radiation. Go to a specialist who treats this... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Long recovery: A whipple procedure is a very major abdominal operation. Provided there are no postoperative complications, it can take weeks or months to start to fe... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Melanoma metastases: The most common location of melanoma metastases are "regional", to the skin or lymph nodes around the original melanoma. Beyond that, melanoma can spr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Cancer vs benign : A "regular mole" is not cancerous. A nodular melanoma is a special type of malignant melanoma, a skin cancer. It is not possible to definitely disting... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 54-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Maybe: Many people with thyroid nodules have unusual symptoms related to their thyroid gland even though the thyroid hormone level is normal.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Skin exams: The most common follow up are periodic skin examinations. Depending on the melanoma characteristics and history, other tests such as complete examinat... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Melanoma: A dysplastic nevus, unlike a melanoma, is not a true cancer. It is best thought of as a pre-cancer, a possible precursor to melanoma that with time ma... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Location and dx: They can depending on their location in the thyroid gland and the underlying diagnosis of the thyroid gland, like thyroiditis.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Link but uncommon: There are some rare genetic disorders where people have lots of moles or freckles and are more likely to develop skin cancer. However for most people ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
15-18 years: 4 years of college
4 years of medical school
5-7 years of general surgery residency
2-3 years of surgical oncology fellowship.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Easily resolved: If you are concerned about changes in a mole, the best action to take is to be seen by a dermatologist, who is trained to clinically evaluate the mole... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 45-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Needs complete eval: Your question cannot be answered without more info. You should see a physician who is experienced in evaluating thyroid nodules, who can determine if ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old female asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Surgery +/- RT: Most soft tissue sarcomas of the extremities are treated with surgery to completely remove the cancer ("negative" margins) then possibly also post-sur... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Different genetics: Although melanoma of the skin and and melanoma of the eye may look similar microscopically, there are very significant genetic differences which in so... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Surgery + immunoRx: Stage iii melanoma is usually where the regional lymph nodes are involved. The most common treatment is surgical removal of the lymph nodes, sometimes... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Risk factors dictate: The most important treatment step after diagnosis is to be seen and evaluated by someone experienced in melanoma care. Most often, surgery is the next... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Sunscreen+avoidance: It is generally thought that the best way to prevent melanoma is to avoid excessive sun exposure and to use sunscreen. However those measures will not... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Yes: Happens all the time. Although sun exposed areas are at greater risk for melanoma, that is not the only factor leading to melanoma, which can occur in... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Mostly sun exposure : Sun exposure, particularly with severe sunburns especially as a child (or probably sunbed use), fair skin, light colored eyes, red or blonde hair, fam... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Not parathyroid: There are many possible reasons for a neck mass, including an enlarged lymph nice, salivary gland or thyroid nodule. However, anatomically a neck mass... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Eric Whitmananswered
Surgical Oncology 38 years experience
Not really: Ocular melanoma starts in the back of the eye and is genetically and clinically different than the more common skin melanoma. Although they look fairl... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
2
Recommendations
300
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Whitman is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Whitman is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Share thanks in your own words...
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Thanks for all the information.
HealthTap member
That's what I thought. Hard to get proof one way or the other.
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, PA
Graduated 1985MD
Awards
Top Surgical Oncologist, First Place, New Jersey - Summer
2013
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions, provide medical advice, write prescriptions, and more.
Answer emailed
in 24 hours or less
