Dr. Evan W. Alley

About Evan W. Alley

Accolades

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  Pleural and Lung Cancer

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  Immunotherapy

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  Board Certified in Medical Oncology

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  Board Certified in Hematology

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  Excellence in Research

Dr. Alley joined the Cleveland Clinic in 2019 as the Section Head of Thoracic Oncology, focusing on lung cancer, mesothelioma and other malignancies of the chest.

He previously served for more than a decade in Philadelphia as the University of Pennsylvania’s chief of hematology/oncology and co-director of the highly regarded Mesothelioma and Pleural Program.

Alley has played a major role nationally in the study and development of Keytruda (pembrolizumab), an immunotherapy drug being used successfully by lung cancer and mesothelioma patients.

Under his leadership, the mesothelioma program at UPenn became one of the country’s elite specialty centers and one of the first to show how effective a multidisciplinary treatment approach can be for patients with this aggressive disease.

He has begun integrating a similar approach in South Florida, bringing together experts in surgery, radiation, pulmonology and medical oncology for a personalized approach to mesothelioma treatment.

Lead Investigator on Keytruda Clinical Trial

Alley was the lead investigator in a recent trial that explored the effectiveness of Keytruda with pleural mesothelioma patients.

He concluded that the drug will soon become an accepted, second-line treatment.

“The study provides evidence that some patients [with mesothelioma] can have long-term disease control with this drug, which we haven’t seen before,” Alley said.

One of his patients in Philadelphia was noted mesothelioma survivor Walter Merth, who raved about the treatment he received and the success he had with Keytruda.

Alley also did earlier investigational research work with photodynamic therapy and mesothelioma patients that is being used today at several different centers.

Well-Respected Among Patients and Peers

Alley’s work with lung cancer patients also has drawn praise from his peers and his patients.

He has played a role in the way the disease is managed by developing a better understanding of it at the earliest, most treatable stages.

His clinical work also includes patients with thymoma and thymic carcinoma, carcinoid tumors of the lungs, and small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma.

Alley’s board certification is in hematology (2002), internal medicine (1999) and medical oncology (2002).

He graduated from the University of Kansas School of Medicine before doing his residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and his fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Alley is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology and the American Association for Cancer Research.