AP Photo Dr. William Winter talks to a patient at Northwest Cancer Specialists in north Portland. Winter is a member of the band, N.E.D. which is doctor talk for "no evidence of disease." Winter may be known in oncology circles for his expertise in women's cancers, but it's his role in the new rock band that's drawing some national attention.

PORTLAND — William Winter is a Portland-area surgeon who specializes in the often overlooked area of cancers afflicting women. He treats cancers that tend to be especially insidious and deadly. He’s dedicated to raising awareness of ovarian, cervical and endometrial cancers.

And he likes to rock.

Winter may be known in oncology circles for his expertise in women’s cancers, but it’s his role in a new rock band that’s drawing some national attention. Winter, 38, an oncologist at Northwest Cancer Specialists, is the lead guitarist for a band made up of six rocking cancer doctors from around the country.

Their band name alone — N.E.D. — is music to a patient’s ears. It’s doc-speak for “no evidence of disease.”

The band came together when a colleague was looking for entertainment at a national conference of gynecological oncologists last March. Winter said he and his colleagues were game to play for their peers, but he added, “None of us are known for our music.”

But the doctors who attended the conference last spring rocked out on N.E.D.’s covers of Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers Band tunes. The band played the 30 or so classic covers they’d rehearsed, and when the crowd of 1,000 doctors asked for more, the rock docs performed the same songs again.

“People were sticking around,” Winter said. “We didn’t get booed off the stage. We actually got asked to do some encores. We played everything we know. We had to replay songs.”

They played at another cancer conference in July and again wowed the crowd.

And now they’ve landed a record deal. Winter said the doctors were approached by Motema (http://motema.com), a New York record label that features world music and jazz musicians. The doctors were in New York last weekend to perform in a recording studio and lay the groundwork for the release of an album next fall.

Winter said the album will feature original songs written by the band members. Each song is inspired by the doctors’ work in women’s cancer, Winter said. Through their music, they hope to raise awareness of deadly cancers that don’t grab as many headlines as, say, breast cancer.

N.E.D.’s first album is set for release next November during Gynecologic Cancer Month. Of course, they want to appeal to cancer patients and their families, but Winter said they also want to reach others who may not be aware of the other types of cancers that afflict women.

Winter said they want to “market it to anyone and everyone . . . and have them understand what goes on with women’s cancers, and the pain behind these things and what women feel and what cancer patients feel and go through.”

One of the album’s songs, “False Pretenses,” is inspired by Winter’s experiences with patients who get dire diagnoses. Ovarian cancer, for instance, is especially devastating. It’s often caught late and has a 10 to 15 percent cure rate.

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On the Net:

Northwest Cancer Specialists: http://www.nwcancer.com/

Motema: http://www.motema.com/