The Division of Surgical Oncology is located in the UC Davis Cancer Center at UC Davis Medical Center and offers a full range of consultative, diagnostic and surgical treatments for cancer patients, subscribing to a "whole patient" treatment philosophy. Complex cancers are a specialty, including gastrointestinal, liver, stomach and colorectal cancers. A team of pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists and internal medicine specialists cooperate in the development of patient treatment plans. Special features include a program devoted solely to problems of the breast (including fibrocystic and cancerous conditions) and a patient advocate program; patients are assigned an advocate to accompany them from diagnosis through the end of treatment.

The Division of Surgical Oncology initiates and participates in many clinical protocols directed at improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Furthermore, surgical oncology researchers are actively engaged in basic science research studying the causes and various treatments for pancreatic cancer.