Dr. Leah Backhus

Doctor Overview

Dr. Leah Backhus is a surgeon who treats chest conditions, including lung cancer and mesothelioma. She practices at Stanford Hospital and is a co-director of the Thoracic Surgery Clinical Research Program. Dr. Backhus has clinical expertise in hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC) and surgical treatment for pleural mesothelioma, including pleurectomy and decortication (P/D). She has a special interest in thoracic oncology and minimally invasive treatments.

In 2026, Dr. Backhus and her team performed the first pressurized intrathoracic aerosol chemotherapy (PITAC) in North America for pleural mesothelioma. Stanford Health Care offers PITAC for patients with pleural mesothelioma through a registry study.

Dr. Backhus is a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and the chief of thoracic surgery at the Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System. Dr. Backhus' research interests include imaging surveillance after lung cancer treatment and cancer survivorship.

Doctor Fast Facts

Main Specialty: Thoracic surgery

Other Interests & Specialties: Chest wall surgery, HITHOC, lung cancer, mesothelioma, minimally invasive surgery, PITAC and thoracic surgery

Certifications, Awards & Accolades: Board certified in general surgery, thoracic and cardiac surgery, Extraordinary Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Award, Levi Watkins Innovation and Leadership Scholarship, McGoon Award for Teaching in Thoracic Surgery

Education & Experience:

• Medical degree from the University of Southern California
• Residency in general surgery at the University of Southern California
• Residency in thoracic surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles

Publications

Impact of guideline therapy on survival of patients with stage I-III epithelioid mesothelioma. J Thorac Dis. 2023 Dec 30;15(12):6661–73.

Impact of hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC) during resection of pleural mesothelioma on patient survival. J Thorac Dis. 2023 Nov 30;15(11):6140–50.