William Cance, M.D., chairman of the University of Florida department of surgery, became president of the Society of Surgical Oncology at the society’s annual business meeting in March.

Cance says his primary goal as president is to reach out to surgical oncologists, both nationally and internationally, to foster more collaboration.

“Surgery remains the mainstay of most cancer treatment, yet as surgeons our efforts can be limited by the biology of the disease,” said Cance, a professor of surgical oncology and endocrine surgery, whose research and clinical interests include breast, endocrine and pancreatic cancers. “Research efforts are expanding and cancer therapeutics are rapidly progressing, so we need to further network and share knowledge for the advanced benefit of our patients.”

Founded in 1940, the Society of Surgical Oncology is an organization of surgeons, scientists and health-care providers that focuses on advancing scientific treatment for cancer. Currently, the Society of Surgical Oncology has more than 2,000 members. Members encompass all surgical specialties and disease sites, including breast, gastrointestinal, melanoma, liver and pancreatic, head and neck, bone and soft tissue, and endocrine.

Cance, who joined the UF College of Medicine in 2003, also serves as a member of the Board of Scientific Councilors of the National Cancer Institute. He has written extensively on breast and colon cancer, and has several ongoing National Institutes of Health-funded research projects.

Cance received his medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine, and followed with residency training at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.