Quick Facts
  • wavy circle icon with check mark inside
    Expertise:
    Cytoreductive Surgery
    HIPEC
  • magnifying glass with heart icon
    Speciality:
    Thoracic Surgery
  • gender symbols interlocked icon
    Gender:
    Male
  • chat box with different language translations icon
    Language:
    English, Spanish
  • pin location icon
    Primary Location:
    Van Elslander Cancer Center

Get to Know Dr. Richard Berri

Dr. Richard Berri is the director of the Surgical Oncology and Peritoneal Surface Malignancy Program at the Van Elslander Cancer Center in Michigan. He advocates treating mesothelioma with cytoreductive surgery followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, also known as HIPEC.

Berri is known for his surgical skill and eagerness to collaborate with other specialists to deliver optimal care to his patients. As a specialist in peritoneal malignancies and gastrointestinal surgical oncology, he has significant experience with mesothelioma.

Much of his training came from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston before taking the lead in Detroit at St. John Hospital, the first facility in Southeast Michigan to offer the cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC combination.

Cytoreductive surgery removes all visible tumors from the peritoneal cavity. Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is then delivered directly into the abdomen at an increased temperature, making it more effective.

A believer in multidisciplinary medicine, Berri thinks every patient benefits when doctors from multiple disciplines work together to provide treatment unique to the patient. According to his calculations, the cytoreductive surgery and HIPEC combination almost doubled the survival time for patients with peritoneal cancers.

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Specialties of Dr. Richard Berri

Dr. Richard Berri’s Experience and Medical Education

  • Wayne State University School of Medicine (M.D.)
  • Ascension St. John Hospital (Residency)
  • University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Fellowship)
  • Ascension St. John Hospital (Internship)

Awards and Certifications

  • ACS fellow
  • Created Van Elslander Cancer Center HIPEC program
  • Board certified in surgery

Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Under Richard Berri, M.D.

  • S0722: Everolimus in Treating Patients with Pleural Malignant Mesothelioma That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery.
  • Nivolumab and Ipilimumab in Treating Patients with Rare Tumors.

Publications of Dr. Richard Berri

  • Berri, R.N. & Ford, J.M. (2019). Management of Peritoneal Malignancies. Textbook of Gastrointestinal Oncology.
  • Ford, J., Hanna, M., Boston, A. & Berri, R. (2015). Life after hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy; measuring quality of life and performance status after cytoreductive surgery plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy. American Journal of Surgery.
  • Van Dorp, D.R., Boston, A. & Berri, R.N. (2014). Establishing a complex surgical oncology program with low morbidity and mortality at a community hospital. American Journal of Surgery.