News and Events

Find our current Cardiothoracic events and news stories below.

WCM Redefines Lung Cancer Treatment with Streamlined Diagnosis and Surgery

Dr. Eugene Shostak . jonathan villena-vargas, thoracic surgery, lung cancer surgeon

For patients diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer, the journey from detection to treatment has traditionally been a prolonged and intricate process. However, Weill Cornell Medicine has introduced an innovative approach that is streamlining the field of lung cancer care. Led by thoracic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Villena-Vargas and interventional pulmonologist Dr. Eugene Shostak, this innovative technique aims to simplify the diagnosis and surgical treatment of lung tumors, providing patients with a more efficient and effective healthcare experience.

The new combined procedure, offers a comprehensive and integrated approach to lung cancer management. By combining cutting-edge technology, unified anesthetic administration, and seamless diagnostic and surgical capabilities, patients now benefit from a rational pathway that consolidates multiple procedures into a single session.

Click here to learn more.

Doing More With Less in Lung Cancer Surgery

Patients with stage 1A non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who undergo surgery to remove a small portion of their lung have outcomes comparable to patients who have surgery removing an entire lobe, according to recent study results. Read More

Lung-Sparing Surgery Is Effective for Some with Early-Stage Lung Cancer

When lung cancer is found early, before it has spread beyond the lungs, people usually have surgery to remove the tumor. For more than 25 years, the standard of surgical care for such patients—even those with very small tumors—has been to remove the entire large section, or lobe, of the lung that contains the tumor. This is done to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back.

But some lung surgeons have suggested that certain patients may do just as well or even better with an operation to remove only part of the affected lobe.

Now, results of a large international clinical trial show that, for certain people with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), surgery to remove a piece of the affected lobe is as effective as surgery to remove the whole lobe.

Cardiac Surgical Complications: Strategic Analysis and Clinical Review

Cardiac Surgical Complications: Strategic Analysis and Clinical Review provides a practically applicable guide on how to successfully resolve and mitigate potential complications in cardiac surgery. This book comprehensively reviews a selection of cases resulting from complications that can occur in cardiac surgical procedures. It details the science behind each potential complication along with a range of available strategies to rectify the issues, including those applicable to minimally invasive techniques.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Sandhya Balaram and Dr. Levi Bassin's new book.

NY State Report 2017 - 2019

Click here to learn more about the report

Scientists Detail Major Mechanism Lung Cancers Use to Evade Immune Attack

A protein commonly found at high levels in lung cancer cells controls a major immunosuppressive pathway that allows lung tumors to evade immune attack, according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The discovery could hasten the development of treatments that overcome this tumor defense mechanism and improve outcomes for lung cancer patients. Click here to learn more about the article.

Upcoming Event: WCM’s First Benign Airway Disease Symposium

Airway Disease Symposium

For additional information and registration, please visit the Airway Disease Symposium website.

Surgical Mitral Repair or Mitral Clip for Degenerative Mitral Valve Regurgitation?

We are enrolling in this NIH sponsored trial investigating surgical mitral valve repair versus mitral clip in patients 65 years old or older, of any risk status. Patients suitable for surgery or clip are randomized to the procedure, and will be followed for 10 years.

From Clinical Trials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05051033

Click here to learn more about the article.

Dr. Sandhya K. Balaram Named Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

Dr. Sandhya K. Balaram, a leading adult cardiac surgeon in New York City, has been named chief of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital, effective Nov. 15. She was also recruited to Weill Cornell Medicine as an associate professor of clinical cardiothoracic surgery.

“I’m thrilled to be joining NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine and look forward to the opportunity to further grow the cardiothoracic surgery program in Brooklyn,” said Dr. Balaram. “I am excited to be working with this talented team to provide excellent clinical outcomes and personalized care to patients in need in Brooklyn and beyond.” Read More

Reducing Copper in the Body Alters Cancer Metabolism to Reduce Risk of Aggressive Breast Cancer

Transmission electron microscopy images showing TM-mediated changes in the cristae (arrow) inside the mitochondria of cancer cells, which contribute to cellular metabolism. Image courtesy of Dr. Divya Ramchandani, Juan Pablo Jimenez and Leona Cohen-Gould.

Depleting copper levels may reduce the production of energy that cancer cells need to travel and establish themselves in other parts of the body by a process referred to as metastasis, according to a new study by investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The discovery of the underlying mechanisms of how copper depletion may help reduce metastasis in breast cancer will help inform the design of future clinical trials.

In a series of research papers from 2013 to 2021, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers showed that in a phase II clinical trial when patients who had high-risk triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) were treated with a drug that lowers the levels of copper in their bodies, it prolonged the period of time before their cancer recurred and spread or metastasized. In the current study, published Dec. 15 in Nature Communications, and led by first author Divya Ramchandani, a research associate in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine, the investigators used animal models to take a closer look at why that was the case. Click here to read the full article.