Michael Lanuti, MD, director of Thoracic Oncology for the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, has devoted his career to advancing care for patients battling lung cancer, esophageal cancer and other challenging diseases.
“Dr. Lanuti successfully performed a challenging and delicate operation on my wife and saw her through her healing process,” says nominator Jordan Rich. “Thanks to him and his team, she enjoyed more healthy and happy months with her family and friends. He is a healer of the first order.”
In his clinical research, Dr. Lanuti exactingly reviews the outcomes of lung and esophageal cancer surgery in order to continuously improve surgical techniques and procedures. In his translational research, he has contributed to understanding recurrence risk in surgically resected early stage lung cancer.
Dr. Lanuti also contributes to the development of novel targeted therapeutics to treat patients with lung cancer. Working in collaboration with researchers across Mass General, Dr. Lanuti and his colleagues in the Thoracic Surgical Oncology Laboratory isolate cancer cells from biopsies and surgical specimens while maintaining cell viability, a critical component to the research process. These patient-derived samples are used to cultivate cell lines which are then treated with various therapeutic agents, allowing for the most clinically accurate understanding of the behavior of each patient’s tumor and indicating which drug or combination of drugs should be most effective when given to the patient.
Nationally and internationally recognized, Dr. Lanuti actively mentors the next generation. Mass General trainee Luis Felipe Tapias Vargas, MD, says: “Dr. Lanuti always leads by example in the clinic, in the operating room, and in the laboratory. His work ethic and his values spur me to try to excel every single day.”
