Dr. Luis Herrera

Profile

Thoracic surgeon Luis Herrera, M.D., has always been a pioneer in his field. As the first Puerto Rican doctor to be accepted into the University of Pittsburgh's Trauma Program, Herrera has been a frontrunner in thoracic medicine since graduating magna cum laude with his medical degree. Drawing on his determination and work ethic, he became the Medical Director of the Rod Taylor Thoracic Care Center at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Orlando, Florida, where he brings innovative surgical care to his patients.

I had outstanding training and I was fortunate to excel in my residency," Herrera told Orlando Medical News. "I knew that I would identify with medicine. . . . I was always intrigued by science and helping others.

Herrera merges these two passions as a member of the thoracic oncology team at MD Anderson Orlando. As the center's only thoracic surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive surgery, he helps match his patients with less radical surgeries, which in turn reduces recovery time and the chance of post-operative complications. Herrera also taps his zeal for research by being involved in clinical trials at the cancer center.

In 2008, Herrera led a clinical trial to analyze a new tool for the detection of Stage I and Stage II lung cancer. The study, which granted 400 patients access to the new laboratory test, helped determine the accuracy of the antigen-based diagnostic tool. His research has been commended by the American Association in Cancer Research, which awarded Herrera its Minority Scholar Award, and by the National Cancer Institute, which provided him with a National Institutes of Health Minority Supplement Grant.

Herrera's research has been published in 52 medical journals, including Surgical Oncology and Carcinogenesis. Many of his articles have been authored with peers from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, reinforcing their team approach to their work.

"The special thing about our center is that it's comprised of different specialties under one roof, including thoracic surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology and pulmonary care," Herrera explained in a video for Oncology Tube.

The MD Anderson's comprehensive approach to treatment ensures patients receive the benefit of expertise of specialists from each discipline. Herrera advocates a multimodal treatment routine, combining his surgical procedures with chemotherapy and/or radiation from another department of the hospital. This team-based treatment approach was also echoed in Herrera's former positions, including his time as the chief resident of thoracic surgery at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

"Early in my career, it was laid at my doorstep," he said. "And I took it as a challenge. Although it was a difficult cancer to treat, with relatively poor outcomes, you had to stick with it. When we started making significant strides, I was drawn to that."

Herrera's practice in Central Florida is based at the Orlando MD Anderson clinic as well as at the South Seminole Hospital. He maintains active membership with of the American College of Surgeons.

I took it as a challenge. Although it was a difficult cancer to treat, with relatively poor outcomes, you had to stick with it. When we started making significant strides, I was drawn to that.

Bio

If there really is no higher praise than the praise of one's peers, then David Sugarbaker, M.D., is pretty secure at the top of his class.

"He is Mr. Mesothelioma," said fellow-surgeon Abraham Lebenthal, who works alongside Sugarbaker at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "In this field, he is the gold standard. I don't think you'll get any argument on that."

Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, Sugarbaker has made malignant pleural mesothelioma the center of his focus for years, pioneering the multi-modal approach to combating the disease, combining surgery with regiments of both radiation and chemotherapy before and after operation.

He also is the founder and current director of the International Mesothelioma Program, the largest of its kind. The program's research, clinical and support divisions attract medical staff and patients to Boston from around the world.

His laboratory has been successful in identifying specific gene ratios in mesothelioma tumors, another step toward his goal of one day finding a cure. By gaining a deeper knowledge of the disease and the clinical subtypes of the disease, he has helped pioneer more tailored therapy programs for individuals.

We are in the midst of a worldwide epidemic of mesothelioma, both in the United States and in Europe, where the epidemic is not expected to peak until 2020," he said.

Now considered one of the foremost experts on mesothelioma, Sugarbaker was involved in the early studies of frozen samples of mesothelioma, identifying particular molecular markers that are specific to the disease. The findings aided the search for earlier diagnosis among patients who have been exposed to asbestos, the only known cause of mesothelioma.

He also was credited with developing and refining extrapleural pneumonectomy, a surgical technique to remove tumors, considerably lowering the operative mortality rate with mesothelioma.

Sugarbaker attended Cornell University Medical School. He completed his surgical residency at Brigham and Women's and his cardiothoracic training at Toronto General Hospital.

He is published extensively in various medical journals for his work toward extending the lives of mesothelioma patients and giving them more hopeful treatment options.

In addition to mesothelioma, Sugarbaker’s interests include general thoracic surgery, video-assisted thoracic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, lung volume reduction surgery, non-small cell cancer and esophageal cancer.

Publications