Adam Yopp, M.D.

Meet Dr. Yopp

Oncologist and Liver Cancer Specialist

Adam Yopp, M.D., has high hopes of eradicating liver cancer and other gastrointestinal disorders as a surgical oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"I believe in laying all the cards on the table with my patients and having a joint decision about what to do. I let them know I am going to be there whether it's good news or bad news."

He is a Professor of Surgery in the Surgical Oncology Division at UT Southwestern and one of four surgical oncologists on the nationally recognized gastrointestinal cancer team at Simmons. He specializes in cancer surgeries in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, pancreas, stomach, and bile duct.

Dr. Yopp would love to see a cure for liver cancer during his lifetime. Until that happens, he will continue to battle that disease and other gastrointestinal disorders in the lab and in the operating room.

“At Simmons Cancer Center, I think we’re at the cutting edge of taking concepts that work in the lab and translating them to advanced patient care,” Dr. Yopp says. “After all, the goal of basic science lab work is to kill cancer in humans, not in mice, and I think we’re starting to do that.”

Dr. Yopp has done extensive research on liver cancer, its causes, and treatment. He directs clinical trials for drugs that fight the disease, and he is working with his colleagues at Simmons Cancer Center to diagnose and treat patients much earlier in the process, giving them the best chance for long-term survival.

He believes in an open approach with his patients when discussing their cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment options. He encourages lots of questions and says that patients are a crucial part of the decision-making team.

Personalized care is also one of Dr. Yopp’s passions, because no two patients are alike, he says. He believes in doing whatever it takes to get patients through the tough stuff, whether it’s surgery, chemotherapy, or other types of treatment.

Dr. Yopp found his calling with his first case as a medical student. 

“It was called the Whipple Procedure,” he says. “They removed the head of the pancreas, and I thought it was an incredible feat of concentration and skill. From that point on, I was interested in hepatobiliary surgery.”