Thoracic Surgery

The Department of Thoracic Surgery is a group of cardiothoracic surgeons subspecialty-trained in the field of General Thoracic Surgery. The primary focus of the clinical practice and clinical/basic science research is oncology-based. All surgeons are Board-Certified, Fellows of the American College of Surgeons and certified with the American Board of Thoracic Surgeons. Our surgeons have served many
academic appointments at well-known teaching institutions, and have trained medical students, surgery residents, and fellows in cardiothoracic surgery for more than a decade.

Each surgical specialist has more than 15 years of experience in the most advanced general thoracic surgical techniques. We have a thorough clinical background and research interest in minimally-invasive thoracic surgery or VATS. We perform some of the more complex robotic thoracic surgical procedures, specifically treating lung cancer, mediastinal disease and esophageal cancer.

Chest diseases treated include undiagnosed pulmonary nodule or mass, lung cancer, especially when it has invaded the chest wall, spine, great vessels, trachea or heart; mesothelioma; apparent metastatic lung cancer; masses in the mediastinum; thymoma, thymic carcinoma, myasthenia gravis; metastatic disease to the lung; pleural effusions; airway cancer, stenosis and benign and malignant tumors of the airway; Raynaud's syndrome; esophageal dysmotility, masses, reflux, Barrett's esophagus and cancer; pericardial effusion, cancer and pericarditis; and cancers that originate or that metastasize to the chest wall and deformities of the chest.

We are involved in numerous levels of cancer research from cellular metabolism, molecular biology, immunotherapeutics, genomics, proteomics and harmacogenomics. Our goals are to identify cancer at the earliest stages, to better understand the biology of malignancy, and to better define a treatment program for each individual patient. Clinically, we have designed our own institutional clinical trials, and we hold membership and leadership roles in SWOG, ACOSOG, and National Cancer Institute cooperative clinical trial groups.

We are eager to work with primary care and specialty physicians to provide evidence-based, cost-effective care to patients who primarily fall in the high-risk category where most institutions will not treat. Our goal is to provide curative approaches to patients whose lives are not otherwise limited by their non-malignant disease. As members of an integrated program, we can participate in the multi-disciplinary management of the most complex diseases. We are comitted to supporting you
and your patients along the journey to the cure of their thoracic disease.

Kemp H. Kernstine, MD, PhD
Director and Professor, Department of Thoracic Surgery