Overview
The Division of Thoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine|NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is actively engaged in a robust program of clinical investigation. With over 1,000 thoracic surgical procedures performed every year, the division is one the busiest thoracic surgical programs in the nation. The Clinical Trials and Healthcare Outcomes Center prospectively records the outcomes of these patients with lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. With over 20 years of prospectively collected data and extensive ongoing biobank effort, the center is in a unique position to assess the efficacy of various thoracic treatments, provide support for translational research and hence improve clinical care.
The Outcomes Center also has experience with the analysis of large national databases, such as the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) and Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER). Analysis of such population level data allows for comparative effectiveness of thoracic surgical treatments to be assessed at a national level. Furthermore, the Outcomes Center has initiated, as well as, is part of several national and international clinical trials that evaluate novel and innovative therapies with the potential to improve the management of thoracic surgery patients. Such investigations are made possible by the infrastructure of Weill Cornell and the Division of Thoracic Surgery, which not only provide high-quality patient care but explore new ways of advancing that care.
Clinical Trials and Healthcare Outcomes Team
The Outcomes Team consists of a clinical research nurse practioner, biostatiscians and several research assistants with input from the attendings within the Division of Thoracic Surgery as well as statisticians from the Weill Cornell Medical College School of Public Health. The team is lead by Dr. Nasser Altorki, Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, who uses his over twenty years of experience in thoracic surgery and clinical research to oversee the numerous projects.
Research Underway
Health Care Outcomes
Risk factors for site-specific metastasis in esophageal cancer.
Prevalence, outcomes, and a risk-benefit analysis of diaphragmatic hernia admissions: an examination of the National Inpatient Sample database.
Lobectomy in octogenarians with non-small cell lung cancer: ramifications of increasing life expectancy and the benefits of minimally invasive surgery.
Cumulative radiation dose from medical imaging procedures in patients undergoing resection for lung cancer.
Survival of patients with clinical stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer after induction therapy: age, mediastinal downstaging and extent of pulmonary resection as independent predictors.
Thoracoscopic lobectomy is associated with lower morbidity than open lobectomy: a propensity-matched analysis from the STS database.
Predictors of survival in patients with persistent nodal metastases after preoperative chemotherapy for esophageal cancer.
Comparative Analysis of Diaphragmatic Hernia Repair Outcomes Using the National Outcomes after Lobectomy using Thoracoscopy vs. Thoracotomy: A Comparative Effectiveness Analysis Utilizing the National Inpatient Sample Database Inpatient Sample Database.
Translational Research Support
Thoracic Surgery Biobank
Epigenetic and genetic changes in disseminated tumor cells from patients with thoracic malignancies predict response to chemotherapy
Related Article:
Refusing Surgery for Esophageal Cancer May Cause Severe Consequences for Patients