Dr. David Sugarbaker has long been considered the pre-eminent physician in the research and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. In addition to mesothelioma, Dr. Sugarbaker's research has extended to small cell lung cancer as well as translational research in malignant pericardial and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. He has established the standard for excellence in the field and his research has been published in many countries and continues to forge the front lines in the fight to cure malignant mesothelioma.
Prior to Dr. Sugarbakers foray into thoracic surgery, many patients had few options other than chemotherapy or radiation treatment for their disease. Surgical resection efficacy was outweighed by its perceived risk in the patient's life. Very few patients were receiving successful slowing of the disease's growth by surgical methods. Today, patients with early stage mesothelioma are being treated with Dr. Sugarbaker's well publicized tri-modality treatment.
The tri-modality treatment attempts to incorporate all aspects of known mesothelioma treatments into a single focused regimen, which means surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy in one treatment roadmap. Results have been markedly different in patients given the tri-modality treatments in contrast to those treated under traditional treatment regimens. The tri modality treatment includes an extensive surgical procedure known as an extra pleural pneumonectomy. For a procedure such as this, there is an extensive number of patient qualifying factors. However, for those eligible, this surgical procedure offers the longest possible prognosis for patients of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Involved in the procedure is the complete resection of the cancer, affected lung, pleura, pericardium, and abdomen. Following the removal of these body structures, they are reconstructed within the chest cavity with prosthetic material. Following surgery, patients are administered adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation regimens to complete the triangle of treatment.
Dr. Sugarbaker received his M.D. from the Cornell University Medical College in 1979. Post-graduate training would include residencies at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now Brigham Women's Hospital) and the Toronto General Hospital. Today he is the chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Brigham Women's Hospital and participates in cancer research through the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.