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Dr. David Sugarbaker
Overview
Dr. David Sugarbaker is a world-renowned board certified thoracic surgeon and originator of the "tri-modal" approach to treating malignant pleural mesothelioma. His current leadership appointments include Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Chief of Surgical Services at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Executive Vice-Chair of Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.
Educational Background
Dr. Sugarbaker first graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and subsequently graduated from Cornell University Medical College in 1979. He completed residencies at several hospitals including Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto.
Clinical and Laboratory Research
Dr. Sugarbaker is considered to be one of the world's leading experts in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma, a type of cancer that is caused by asbestos exposure. In fact, the majority of Dr. Sugarbaker's clinical and laboratory research has centered on the development of what has been termed a "tri-modal" therapeutic approach to treating malignant pleural mesothelioma. This three-pronged approach uses a combination of radical surgery (removal of a large portion of the lining of the lung and sometimes parts of the lung itself), chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat victims of pleural mesothelioma. Highly regarded in his field, Dr. Sugarbaker's research and experience has led to significant improvements in survival rates among malignant pleural mesothelioma patients. Dr. Sugarbaker travels worldwide to deliver lectures on the topic of mesothelioma treatment. He has also been published in numerous medical journals and textbooks.
In an effort to address the growing number of mesothelioma cases worldwide, Dr. Sugarbaker founded the International Pleural Mesothelioma Program. The program is comprised of both a clinical arm and research arm that are focused on developing new and more effective treatment protocol for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Dr. Sugarbaker is also involved in the Tissue and Blood Repository at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, which was founded in 1991, and is Chair of Surgery of the hospital's Cancer and Leukemia Group. These roles permit Dr. Sugarbaker to develop new clinical trial opportunities, as well as non-invasive surgical methods and other beneficial mesothelioma treatment options.
In addition, Dr. Sugarbaker is also a member of The Cardiothoracic Surgery Network and is Vice President of the Graham Education and Research Foundation committee.
Dr. Sugarbaker's research and clinical experience has earned him recognition at both national and international levels. He has been named one of "America's Top Doctors" by Castle Connolly annually since 2002, and earned special distinction in 2007 and 2009.
Publications
Phase III Intergroup Study of Talc Poudrage vs Talc Slurry Sclerosis for Malignant Pleural Effusion* Carolyn M. Dresler, MD; Jemi Olak, MD, FCCP; James E. Herndon, II, PhD; William G. Richards, PhD; Ernest Scalzetti, MD; Stewart B. Fleishman, MD; Kemp H. Kernstine, MD, PhD, FCCP; Todd Demmy, MD, FCCP; David M. Jablons, MD, FCCP; Leslie Kohman, MD, FCCP; Thomas M. Daniel, MD; George B. Haasler, MD, FCCP; David J. Sugarbaker, MD; for the Cooperative Groups Cancer and Leukemia Group B, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, North Central Cooperative Oncology Group, and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, (Chest. 2005;127:909-915.) © 2005 American College of Chest Physicians
Phase III Trial of Trimodality Therapy With Cisplatin, Fluorouracil, Radiotherapy, and Surgery Compared With Surgery Alone for Esophageal Cancer: CALGB 9781, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 26, No 7 (March 1), 2008: pp. 1086-1092 © 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology.
DOI: 1 Phase I to II Study of Pleurectomy/Decortication and Intraoperative Intracavitary Hyperthermic Cisplatin Lavage for Mesothelioma - Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 24, No 10 (April 1), 2006: pp. 1561-1567
Prevention, early detection, and management of complications after 328 consecutive extrapleural pneumonectomies - J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2004;128:138-146
Pleural Biopsy: A Reliable Method for Determining the Diagnosis But Not Subtype in Mesothelioma - Ann Thorac Surg 2004;78:1774-1776
Resection margins, extrapleural nodal status, and cell type determine postoperativ long-term survival in trimodality therapy of malignant pleural mesothelioma: results in 183 patients - J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1999;117:54-65
Pleuropneumonectomy in the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. - Chest. 1999 Dec;116(6 Suppl):450S-454S.
Extrapleural pneumonectomy in the setting of multimodality therapy for diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. - Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1997 Oct;9(4):373-82
Extrapleural pneumonectomy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in the treatment of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. - J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1991 Jul;102(1):10-4; discussion 14-50.1200/JCO.2007.12.9593
Contact Information
Dr. David Sugarbaker
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 732-6824
Source
Dana-Farber Physician Profile