University of Maryland Medical Center, Division of Thoracic Surgery

Department of Surgical Oncology
22 S. Greene Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Phone: 410.328.6366
Fax: 410.328.0693
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Founded in 1823 as the Baltimore Infirmary, the University of Maryland Medical Center cares for more than 32,000 inpatients and 300,000 outpatients each year. One of the nation’s oldest academic centers, University of Maryland Medical Center offers discovery-driven tertiary and quaternary care for the state or Maryland and region, as well as innovative, highly specialized clinical programs.

University of Maryland Medical Center specialists are all faculty members at the University of Maryland School of Medicine which is the nation's first public medical school and the fifth oldest. It is also a prominent leader in biomedical research and medical education. The University of Maryland Medical center houses dozens, if not hundreds of programs and departments, as well as the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center’s surgical oncology program and the University of Maryland Medical Center Thoracic Surgery Division Center for Mesothelioma and Asbestos-Related Diseases.

The Thoracic Surgery Division Center for Mesothelioma and Asbestos-Related Diseases takes a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related. The multidisciplinary care program allows the patient access to all member of the multidisciplinary team in one visit.

Testing methods include: chest X-ray, computed axial tomography (CAT Scan) of the chest and abdomen, and a MRI of the chest, additionally, a lung pleural biopsy will generally be necessary. The University of Maryland Thoracic Oncology Program has treatment plans that may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or a combination of the three (tri-modality).

The Thoracic Surgery Division Chief is Dr. Richard Battafarano. Dr Battafarano is also Associate Professor of Surgery, and his areas of special interest include lung cancer surgery, esophageal cancer surgery, Barrett's esophagus, mediastinal tumors, metastatic cancer to the lung, and surgery for other tumors of the chest. Dr. Whitney Burrows, Assistant Professor of Surgery, specializes in esophageal cancer, gastrointestinal reflux disease lung cancer, hyperhidrosis, and emphysema.

The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart (UMGCC) Surgical Oncology Program also takes a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of all kinds of cancers including: breast cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, pancreas cancer, rectal cancer, stomach cancer, gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors, soft tissue sarcomas of the abdomen and gastrointestinal tract, endocrine tumors, and thyroid cancer. The Surgical Oncology Program multidisciplinary team of physicians includes: Dr. Nader Hanna, Dr. H. Richard Alexander, Dr. Ajay Jain, Dr. Susan B. Kesmodel, and Dr. Nazanin Khakpour. Other program participants include: Dr. Samuel Bielgk, and Dr. Cynthia L. Drogula.