Amalia Stefanou, MD

Cancer Focus:
Colon Cancer, Colorectal Cancer

Dr. Amalia Stefanou is a highly trained colon and rectal cancer surgeon specializing in the surgical treatment of colon cancer and rectal cancer. She is an Associate Member in the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, where she provides advanced, evidence-based surgical care for patients with complex colon and rectal malignancies.

Dr. Stefanou has extensive experience in minimally invasive robotic colorectal surgery, including low anterior resection and abdominal perineal resections for locally advanced, low rectal, and complex rectal tumors.  She provides advanced operative techniques designed to optimize cancer outcomes while prioritizing patient safety, recovery, and quality of life. She cares for patients across the full spectrum of colon and rectal cancers, from early-stage disease to complex and high-risk cases. 

Dr. Stefanou is known for her thoughtful, patient-centered approach, taking time to clearly explain diagnoses, surgical options, and treatment plans so patients feel informed and supported throughout their cancer journey.  This is particularly important for patients with rectal cancer who quality for non-operative management.  She is co-director of the Young Onset Colorectal Cancer Initiative and the Geriatric Surgery Program at Moffitt. 

In addition to her clinical expertise, Dr. Stefanou holds a master’s degree in health care quality and Patient Safety from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research focuses on surgical quality and outcomes, with particular emphasis on how to measure, define, and continuously improve care for surgical patients with cancer.

She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan, and completed her General Surgery Residency at Henry Ford Hospital, where she served as Chief Resident. Dr. Stefanou then completed specialized training through a Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency Training Program at Cook County Hospital / University of Illinois at Chicago, one of the nation’s leading programs in colorectal surgery.

Dr. Stefanou is currently accepting new patients.  Surgical consultation appointments can be seen within one week.  No referral is needed. 

• Stefanou AJ, Childers B, Castillo DL, Freeman H, Yu A, Al-Jumayli M, Extermann M, Anaya DA. Evaluation of knowledge, perceptions of care, and current practice of geriatric surgical care at a dedicated cancer center: A survey study. Geriatr Oncol. 2026 Mar.17(2):102836. Pubmedid: 41411917.
• Hendrick L, Alhassan S, Yeoh C, Riveron A, Anaya D, Stefanou A. Evaluating the Relationship Between Anemia, Transfusion, and Surgical Outcomes in Patients with Surgical Geriatric Cancer: A National Study. J Am Coll Surg. 2026 Jul.243(1):80-94. Pubmedid: 41730124.
• Stefanou AJ, Hendrick L, Allen K, Hodul P, Denbo J, Fleming JB, Anaya DA. APP-First: A Care Delivery Model Designed to Increase Access and Treatment Opportunities for Patients with Gastrointestinal Malignancies. Ann Surg Oncol. 2026 Jan.33(1):22-23. Pubmedid: 41145931.
• Stefanou AJ, Poggio JL, Tyler KM, Colvin D. Accountable Care Organizations and the Colorectal Surgeon. Dis Colon Rectum. 2026 Feb.69(2):160-163. Pubmedid: 41538381.
• Radosavljevic I, Dam A, Luthra AK, Pena L, Cappelle S, Permuth JB, Felder S, Sanchez J, Stefanou A, Friedman M, Mok SR. Assessing outcomes of full-thickness resection in piecemeal polypectomy scar consolidation of colon adenomas containing cancer. Endosc Int Open. 2025 Sep.13:a26372047. Pubmedid: 40932816. Pmcid: PMC12417760.
• Hendrick LE, Naffouje S, Imanirad I, Pereira AL, Biachi T, Sanchez J, Dessureault S, Stefanou A, Dineen SP, Felder S. Incomplete Resection Is Twice as Likely in Locally Advanced Mucinous Compared to Nonmucinous Rectal Adenocarcinoma: A National Propensity-Matched Analysis. J Surg Oncol. 2025 May.131(6):1090-1100. Pubmedid: 39658830.
• Guske C, Immen N, Conant D, Laborde J, Linscott J, Hayes M, Jazayeri SB, Fazili A, Siegel E, Dessureault S, Sanchez J, Stefanou A, Manley B, Felder S. Short- and Intermediate-Term Morbidity Following Total Pelvic Exenteration in Colorectal Cancer. Cancer Control. 2025 Jan.32:10732748251316598. Pubmedid: 39848249. Pmcid: PMC11758541.
• Morales MFG, Hogue SR, Pitcher S, Jeong D, Radosavljevic I, Stefanou A, Felder SI, Burns JR, Dowd SE, Vogtmann E, Sinha R, Wang L, Wang X, Permuth JB, Sears CL, Andersen SW, Greathouse KL, Kresovich JK, Friedman MS, Siegel EM, Byrd DA. Survival implications of the age-associated tumor and normal adjacent tissue microbiome among colorectal cancer patients. Gut Pathog. 2025 Dec.17(1):109. Pubmedid: 41437389. Pmcid: PMC12739855.
• Stefanou AJ. Surgical and Interventional Management of Lung Metastasis: Surgical Assessment, Resection, Ablation, Percutaneous Interventions. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2024 Mar.37(2):85-89. Pubmedid: 38322599. Pmcid: PMC10843877.
• Stefanou A, Sela N, Merani S, Hoffman A. Evaluation of Medicare Reimbursement and Surgical Patterns for Male and Female Colorectal Surgeons. J Surg Res. 2024 Jan.293:539-545. Pubmedid: 37832304.
• Ogunleye O, Feuerlein S, Ahmed A, Parsee A, Jeong D, Henning J, Frakes J, Stefanou A, Sanchez J, Hoffe S, Dessureault S, Felder S, Costello J. The role of rectal magnetic resonance imaging in accurate localization and designation of colorectal cancer for optimal management: Case study. Radiol Case Rep. 2024 Aug.19(8):3042-3048. Pubmedid: 38745979. Pmcid: PMC11091459.
• Stefanou AJ. Fertility and Pregnancy: How Do These Affect Family Planning and Surgeon Health?. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2023 Sep.36(5):327-332. Pubmedid: 37564346. Pmcid: PMC10411105.
• Stefanou AJ, Dessureault S, Sanchez J, Felder S. Clinical Tools for Rectal Cancer Response Assessment following Neoadjuvant Treatment in the Era of Organ Preservation. Cancers (Basel). 2023 Nov.15(23). Pubmedid: 38067239.
• Stefanou A, Gardner C, Rubinfeld I. A retrospective study of the effects of minimally invasive colorectal surgery on Patient Safety Indicators across a five-hospital system. Surg Endosc. 2022 Oct.36(10):"7684-7699". Pubmedid: 35237902.
• Stefanou AJ, Kalu RU, Tang A, Reickert CA. Bowel Preparation for Elective Hartmann Operation: Analysis of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Database. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 2022 Jun.23(5):436-443. Pubmedid: 35451876.
• Stefanou AJ, Sentovich SM, Peters WR. What Every Colorectal Surgeon Should Know About the No Surprises Act. Dis Colon Rectum. 2021 Sep.64(9):1038-1040. Pubmedid: 34397556.
• Kalu R, Boateng P, Carrier L, Garzon J, Tang A, Reickert C, Stefanou A. Effect of preoperative versus postoperative use of transversus abdominis plane block with plain 0.25 % bupivacaine on postoperative opioid use: a retrospective study. BMC Anesthesiol. 2021 Apr.21(1):114. Pubmedid: 33845790. Pmcid: PMC8040194.
• Nasser H, Ivanics T, Leonard-Murali S, Stefanou A. Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection After Laparoscopic Colectomy: An NSQIP Database Analysis. J Surg Res. 2020 May.249:25-33. Pubmedid: 31918327.
• Stefanou A, Worden A, Kandagatla P, Reickert C, Rubinfeld I. Surgical Wound Misclassification to Clean From Clean-Contaminated in Common Abdominal Operations. J Surg Res. 2020 Feb.246:131-138. Pubmedid: 31580983.
• Shetty T, Ivanics T, Nasser H, Stefanou A. Is Loop Ileostomy in Patients with Cecal Bascule a Viable Option?. Case Rep Surg. 2019.2019:8549692. Pubmedid: 31428508. Pmcid: PMC6679889.
• Kandagatla PG, Stefanou AJ. Current Status of the Radiologic Assessment of Diverticular Disease. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2018 Jul.31(4):217-220. Pubmedid: 29942210. Pmcid: PMC6014845.
• DeCaporale-Ryan L, Sakran JV, Grant SB, Alseidi A, Rosenberg T, Goldberg RF, Sanfey H, Dubose J, Stawicki S, Ricca R, Derrick ET, Bernstein CA, Jardine DA, Stefanou AJ, Aziz B, He E, Dissanaike S, Fortuna CGR, Oviedo RJ, Shapiro J, Galowitz P, Moalem J. The undiagnosed pandemic: Burnout and depression within the surgical community. Curr Probl Surg. 2017 Sep.54(9):453-502. Pubmedid: 29073980.
• Stefanou A, Marshall N, Holdan W, Siddiqui A. A randomized study comparing corticosteroid injection to corticosteroid iontophoresis for lateral epicondylitis. J Hand Surg Am. 2012 Jan.37(1):104-109. Pubmedid: 22196293.
• Stefanou AJ, Reickert CA, Velanovich V, Falvo A, Rubinfeld I. Laparoscopic colectomy significantly decreases length of stay compared with open operation. Surg Endosc. 2012 Jan.26(1):144-148. Pubmedid: 21792714.
• Stefanou A, Nalamati SP. Anorectal melanoma. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2011 Sep.24(3):171-176. Pubmedid: 22942799. Pmcid: PMC3311504.
• Tsiouris A, Neale J, Stefanou A, Szilagy EJ. Primary amyloid of the colon mimicking ischemic colitis. Colorectal Dis. 2011 Jan.13(1):e12-e13. Pubmedid: 20958909.

Voted top doctor in Colon/Rectal Surgery in Tampa Magazine’s Top Doctors 2025.

Voted top doctor in Colon/Rectal Surgery in Tampa Magazine's Top Doctors 2024.