Dr. Luis Herrera

Get to Know Dr. Luis J. Herrera

Surgical oncologist Dr. Luis Herrera serves as medical director of the Rod Taylor Thoracic Care Center at UF Health Cancer Center, part of the Orlando Health system.

Herrera treats patients with pleural mesothelioma, performing aggressive and minimally invasive mesothelioma surgeries.

He is a big believer in the multidisciplinary approach to treatment that involves medical oncology, radiation oncology and pulmonary care, adding to his thoracic surgical skills.

Herrera focuses exclusively on non-cardiac thoracic surgery. He is best known for his expertise in minimally invasive procedures, including robotic, laparoscopic and video-assisted surgeries, most often used with lung and esophageal malignancies.

“I’m committed to providing the latest and most innovative care available,” he said. “I utilize minimally invasive procedures about 90% of the time. My patients really appreciate it; their recoveries are much easier and faster than they expected.”

Herrera stresses the need to increase early screening for lung cancer and improve technology to make screenings more effective. His goal is to improve survival odds by finding the disease earlier when treatments can be more effective.

Specialties of Dr. Luis J. Herrera

• Thoracic surgery
• Minimally invasive surgery
• Robotics
• Video-assisted thoracic surgery
• Lung cancer
• Esophageal cancer

Dr. Luis J. Herrera’s Experience and Medical Education

• Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center
• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Fellowship)
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Residency)
• University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine (M.D.)

Awards and Certifications

• Board certified in general surgery and thoracic surgery
• American Association for Cancer Research Minority Scholar Award
• NIH Minority Supplement Grant
• Regional Top Doctor, Castle Connolly

Publications of Dr. Luis J. Herrera

• Nguyen, D.M. et al. (2020, March). Clinical and economic comparative effectiveness of robotic-assisted, video-assisted thoracoscopic, and open lobectomy. Journal of Thoracic Disease.  
• Herrera, L.J. (2011, October). Invited Commentary. Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
• Herrera, L.J. (2010, March). Extent of lymphadenectomy in esophageal cancer: how many lymph nodes is enough? Annals of Surgical Oncology.
• Herrera, L.J. et al. (2005, January). Quantitative analysis of circulating plasma DNA as a tumor marker in thoracic malignancies. Clinical Chemistry.